Etiology of bacterial diseases of young walnut trees in Serbia

In the summer and autumn of 2019-2020, young walnut orchards were monitored for the presence of bacterial diseases. Diseased walnut samples comprising trunks and branches with symptoms of vertical oozing canker (VOC), walnut bacterial blight (WBB) and superficial bark necrosis were collected from eight locations in Serbia. Based on phenotypic features, pathogenicity, and molecular assays using PCR with specific primers, 49 isolates obtained from samples showing VOC and WBB symptoms were identified as Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis, while further two isolates obtained from bark necrosis were identified as Brenneria rubrifaciens. One tested X. a. pv. juglandis isolate obtained from a VOC sample produced deep cankers in the bark of inoculated trunks of young walnut trees (cultivars Chandler, Franquette and Šejnovo). Therefore, this is the first report of an association between X. a. pv. juglandis and VOC symptom in Serbia. Considering that X. a. pv. juglandis significantly endangers walnut production, the presence of this pathogen in walnut transplant imports needs to be assessed by an authorised laboratory. Furthermore, as this is also the first report of B. rubrifaciens on walnut trees in Serbia, it is noteworthy that this pathogen is not particularly harmful to young walnut trees

Kvalitet života laringektomisanih bolesnika u Srbiji

Introduction/Objective Total laryngectomy is a very mutilating operation and it leads to drastic changes in life quality. The purpose of this study was to examine factors of importance to the laryngectomized patients' quality of life and to evaluate characteristics of esophageal voice and speech. Methods The study was conducted at the Clinic of Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, at the Clinical Center of Serbia (Belgrade, Serbia), during the period between March 2012-2015. The study included 223 patients diagnosed with laryngeal cancer, who underwent total laryngectomy. The total of 168 laryngectomized patients were provided with phoniatric rehabilitation. Results The quality of life was significantly better for those laryngectomized patients who did undergo phoniatric rehabilitation. By means of intensive phoniatric rehabilitation the esophageal voice and speech was established in 86.3% of laryngectomized patients registered by objective acoustic analysis. Rehabilitated laryngectomy patients had a significantly lower presence of voice handicap sense (VHI: 19.57 ± 7.35) and expressed significantly lower symptoms of depression and anxiety (PHQ-9: 3.8 ± 4.2; GAD-7: 3.4 ± 4.2). Cronbach's alpha coefficient was above 0.7 EORTC QLQ-C30 on three levels of Likert scales: the scale of physical and emotional functioning and fatigue; as well as EORTC QLQ-H&N43 questionnaire: the symptoms of head and neck pain, speech, swallowing and eating problems and body image. Conclusion Significantly improving the quality of life of laryngectomized patients was achieved by a multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Phoniatric rehabilitation carried out in a planned and systematic way is the most efficient rehabilitation of laryngectomized patients.Uvod/Cilj Totalna laringektomija, kao veoma mutilantna operacija, dovodi do drastičnih promena u kvalitetu života. Cilj ove studije je da istraži faktore od značaja za kvalitet života laringektomisanih bolesnika i da proceni karakteristike ezofagusnog glasa i govora. Metode Istraživanje je sprovedeno u Klinici za otorinolaringologiju i maksilofacijalnu hirurgiju Kliničkog centra Srbije u Beogradu, u periodu od marta 2012. do marta 2015. godine. Ispitivanjem je bilo obuhvaćeno 223 bolesnika kojima je zbog verifikovanog karcinoma larinksa učinjena totalna laringektomija i sprovedena fonijatrijska rehabilitacija kod 168 laringektomisanih bolesnika. Rezultati Kvalitet života laringektomisanih bolesnika kod kojih je sprovedena fonijatrijska rehabilitacija je značajno bolji od onih koji nisu imali fonijatrijsku rehabilitaciju. Intenzivnom fonijatrijskom rehabilitacijom je uspostavljen ezofagusni glas i govor kod 86,3% laringektomisanih bolesnika, koji je registrovan objektivnom akustičkom analizom. Rehabilitovani laringektomisani bolesnici imaju značajno niže prisustvo hendikepa zbog glasa (VHI: 19,57 ± 7,35) i značajno niže izražene simptome depresije i anksioznosti (PHQ-9: 3,8 ± 4,2; GAD-7: 3,4 ± 4,2). Kronbahov α koeficijent je bio iznad 0,7 na tri skale upitnika EORTC QLQ-C30: fizičko funkcionisanje, emocionalno funkcionisanje i umor, kao i kod pet skala QLQ-H&N43 upitnika: bol u glavi/vratu, problemi sa gutanjem, problemi sa govorom, problemi pri jelu i slika o sebi. Zaključak Značajno poboljšanje kvaliteta života laringektomisanih bolesnika postiže se multidisciplinarnom rehabilitacijom. Fonijatrijska rehabilitacija, koja se sprovodi planski i sistematično, predstavlja najekonomičniji način rehabilitacije laringektomisanih bolesnika

The impact of socioeconomic factors on quality of life and functional impairment in patients treated for oropharyngeal carcinoma

Uvod/Cilj. Incidencija orofaringealnih karcinoma se povećavala tokom poslednje decenije, a epidemiologija promenila sa pojavom humanog papiloma virusa (HPV) kao bitnog faktora rizika od ovih karcinoma. Potrebno je ustanoviti bolje terapeutske izbore za specifične grupe bolesnika koji se leče od orofaringealnog karcinoma. Cilj ove studije bio je da se procene kvalitet života i funkcionalne performanse, kao i uticaj različitih demografskih faktora, stadijuma bolesti i tipa terapija na te parametre kod bolesnika sa orofaringealnim karcinomom kod kojih je postignuta uspešna lokoregionalna kontrola, godinu dana posle sprovedene terapije. Metode. Studija je uključila 87 bolesnika koji su odgovorili na upitnike o kvalitetu života i funkcionalnim performansama: European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of Life-Questionnaire-C30 - EORTC QLQ-C30), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of-Life Questionnaire-Head and Neck 35 (EORTC QLQ-H&N35) i Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS), 12 do 14 meseci posle završenog onkološkog tretmana. Rezultati. Specifične grupe bolesnika značajno su se razlikovale u skorovima na upitnicima za kvalitet života posle lečenja. Faktori koji su bili povezani sa slabijim rezultatima su bili ženski pol, život bez partnera, nivo obrazovanja, zaposlenost i HPV status. Zaključak. Kliničari bi trebali da uzmu u obzir socioekonomske faktore i HPV status u planiranju postoperativnog oporavka kod bolesnika lečenih od orofaringealnog karcinoma. Pol bolesnika, nivo obrazovanja i zaposlenost su faktori koji nose određen nivo rizika koji je povezan sa nižim nivoom kvaliteta života kod ovih bolesnika.Backround/Aim. Considering the distinct increase in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer over oral cavity cancers and changing epidemiology with human papilloma virus (HPV) infection emerging as an important risk factor, there is a need to establish better treatment choices in specific groups of patients with oropharyngeal cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life (QOL) and functional performance and the impact of different demographical data, stage of disease, and treatment type on these parameters in patients with oropharyngeal cancer with successfully achieved locoregional control a year after the treatment. Methods. Study included 87 patients who underwent QOL and functional impairment assessment 12 to 14 months after finished oncological treatment with the following questionnaires: the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of Life-Questionnaire-C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of-Life Questionnaire-Head and Neck 35 (EORTC QLQ-H&N35) and the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS). Results. Specific groups of patients had significantly different post-treatment QOL scores. The factors associated with the worse QOL scores were female gender, not being in a partnership, level of education and HPV status. Conclusion. Clinicians should consider socioeconomic factors and HPV status in planning the recovery after treatment of patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma. Gender, education level and employment are the variables that form a certain risk profiles associated with the lower QOL

Quantification of biofilm formation on silicone intranasal splints: An in vitro study

Objectives: Biofilms are associated with persistent infections and resistant to conventional therapeutic strategies. The aim of this study was to investigate the quantity of biofilm produced on silicone intranasal splints. Methods: Quantity of biofilm formation on silicone splints (SS) was tested on 15 strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Moraxella catarrhalis, respectively. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed in accordance with European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing recommendations. Results: All tested strains formed different amounts of biofilm on SS: 66.7% S. aureus and 93.3% M. catarrhalis were weak biofilm producers and 33.3% S. aureus and 6.7% M. catarrhalis were moderate biofilm producers. S. aureus formed significantly higher quantity of biofilm compared with M. catarrhalis (p  Conclusion: Quantity of biofilm on SS is highly dependent on bacterial species and their resistance patterns. Future studies are needed to ascertain another therapeutic option for prophylaxis prior to SS placement

In Vitro Antibiofilm Effect of N-Acetyl-L-cysteine/Dry Propolis Extract Combination on Bacterial Pathogens Isolated from Upper Respiratory Tract Infections

Bacterial biofilms play an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic upper respiratory tract infections. In addition to conventional antimicrobial therapy, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and propolis are dietary supplements that are often recommended as supportive therapy for upper respiratory tract infections. However, no data on the beneficial effect of their combination against bacterial biofilms can be found in the scientific literature. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the in vitro effect of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and dry propolis extract in fixed combinations (NAC/dry propolis extract fixed combination) on biofilm formation by bacterial species isolated from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis, chronic otitis media, and chronic adenoiditis. The prospective study included 48 adults with chronic rhinosinusitis, 29 adults with chronic otitis media, and 33 children with chronic adenoiditis. Bacteria were isolated from tissue samples obtained intraoperatively and identified using the MALDI-TOF Vitek MS System. The antimicrobial activity, synergism, and antibiofilm effect of NAC/dry propolis extract fixed combination were studied in vitro. A total of 116 different strains were isolated from the tissue samples, with staphylococci being the most frequently isolated in all patients (57.8%). MICs of the NAC/dry propolis extract fixed combination ranged from 1.25/0.125 to 20/2 mg NAC/mg propolis. A synergistic effect (FICI ≤ 0.5) was observed in 51.7% of strains. The majority of isolates from patients with chronic otitis media were moderate biofilm producers and in chronic adenoiditis they were weak biofilm producers, while the same number of isolates in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis were weak and moderate biofilm producers. Subinhibitory concentrations of the NAC/propolis combination ranging from 0.625–0.156 mg/mL to 10–2.5 mg/mL of NAC combined with 0.062–0.016 mg/mL to 1–0.25 mg/mL of propolis inhibited biofilm formation in all bacterial strains. Suprainhibitory concentrations ranging from 2.5–10 mg/mL to 40–160 mg/mL of NAC in combination with 0.25–1 mg/mL to 4–16 mg/mL of propolis completely eradicated the biofilm. In conclusion, the fixed combination of NAC and dry propolis extract has a synergistic effect on all stages of biofilm formation and eradication of the formed biofilm in bacteria isolated from upper respiratory tract infections

Effects of L-ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol on biochemical parameters of swimming-induced oxidative stress in serum of guinea pigs

Background: The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of L-ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol as well as combination of these vitamins with or without exposure to physical exercise on intensity of lipid peroxidation, activity of xanthine oxidase, activity of total antioxidative system, concentration of glutathione, and activity of catalase in the serum of guinea pigs.Materials and Methods: The experimental measurements of intensity of lipid peroxidation, activity of xanthine oxidase, activity of total antioxidative system, concentration of glutathione, and activity of catalase were done in the serum of guinea pigs. The animals were exposed to the test load to achieve exhaustion and the test was terminated when the animal for the third time to sink into the water.Results: The results of this study demonstrated that endurance exercise of guinea pigs induced oxidative stress response in terms of increased lipid peroxidation and activity of xanthine oxidase in the serum of experimental animals. Our study investigated the antioxidant activity of L-ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol also measuring three protective markers in the serum: total antioxidant activity, content of glutathione and activity of catalase. The results obtained show that the vitamins influence the concentrations of above mentioned biochemical parameters, which points out their protective effect of swimming-induced oxidative stress.Conclusion: Single or combined administration of L-ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol caused significant inhibition of these markers indicating the important antioxidant activity of the vitamins. Results lead to conclude that the combined treatments with vitamins with or without exposure to physical exercise showed the clear synergistic effect.Key words: L-ascorbic acid, alpha-tocopherol, guinea pigs, oxidative stress,  biochemical parameter

Evaluation of antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of phenolic N-acylhydrazones: Structure-activity relationship

Cancer is still a relentless public health issue. Particularly, colorectal cancer is the third most prevalent cancer in men and the second in women. Moreover, cancer development and growth are associated with various cell disorders, such as oxidative stress and inflammation. The quest for efficient therapeutics is a challenging task, especially when it comes to achieving both cytotoxicity and selectivity. Herein, five series of phenolic N-acylhydrazones were synthesized and evaluated for their antioxidant potency, as well as their influence on HCT-116 and MRC-5 cells viability. Among 40 examined analogues, 20 of them expressed antioxidant activity against the DPPH radical. Furthermore, density functional theory was employed to estimate the antioxidant potency of the selected analogues from the thermodynamical aspect, as well as the preferable free-radical scavenging pathway. Cytotoxicity assay exposed enhanced selectivity of a number of analogues toward cancer cells. The structure-activity analysis revealed the impact of the type and position of the functional groups on both cell viability and selectivity toward cancer cells

Management of orbital complications of acute rhinosinusitis in pediatric patients : a 15-Year single-center experience

BACKGROUND: The major clinical dilemma managing acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) in pediatric population is distinguishing uncomplicated rhinosinusitis from a complicated bacterial ARS and orbital complications, the latter requiring antimicrobials and surgical intervention. However, factors associated with severe orbital complications and the optimum management strategy remains controversial. The objectives of this study were to characterize the clinical outcomes of children with orbital complications of ARS and to identify risk factors associated with disease severity. METHODS: This retrospective cohort analysis evaluated the clinical outcomes of 61 children admitted for orbital complications between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2017. Descriptive statistics were performed to examine the demographics and clinical findings. We compared groups using Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables and χ for categorical variables. RESULTS: Although two-thirds of children had received prehospital antibiotics, half of the cohort presented with post-septal orbital complications. While 83% of isolates obtained from the same patients were susceptible to the prehospital antibiotics given, the majority of those who received prehospital antibiotics nevertheless required surgical intervention. We observed significant association between the age of presentation and disease severity. Children >5 years of age presented with more severe orbital complications despite prehospital antibiotics and were more likely to require surgical intervention (P 5 years with ARS due to worse orbital complications despite prehospital antibiotics.PostprintPeer reviewe

Work ability evaluation in neurosarcoidosis: A case report

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology which affects most frequently the hilar lymph nodes and lungs. Symptomatic involvement of the central nervous system may develop in patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis or it may be the initial manifestation of the disease. This is a case report of 48-year old female patient admitted to our clinic for evaluation of working ability. The patient had a total of 24 years of service and occupational exposure and she has been employed as supplies procurement officer. On admission, she complained of the following discomforts: eye-lid pain, intellectual fatigue, psychic uneasiness, forgetfulness, dyspnea and productive cough. Neurological findings indicated the presence of the right eye ophthalmoplegia, psychoorganic syndrome and neurosarcoidosis. Ophthalmological examination evidenced bilateral ptosis and presence of anisocoria. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed discrete focal lesions of the pons (paracentral left) and parietal corona radiata of the left hemisphere. Based on performed examinations and diagnostics procedures, final evaluation of patient’s working ability concluded that the patient was not capable of psychic strains and jobs associated with material accountability