Probiotici i prebiotici kod arterijske hipertenzije

There is growing evidence that a disturbed microbiota, a complex ecosystem, is associated with the development of numerous diseases, including arterial hypertension. This complex cardiovascular disease is the result of not sufficiently clear role that genetic and environmental factors play in it. Not only does the treatment of hypertension include a drug therapy, but also it includes a variety of non-pharmacological measures based on dietary intervention. Probiotics and prebiotics are besides the nutrition the most commonly used substances that are aimed at maintaining a healthy microbiome or restoring the balance in case of disturbed bacterial homeostasis in disease. Although many studies have confirmed the effects of an imbalance in the gut microbiota (dysbiosis) in the last decade, the benefits of dietary intervention with probiotics in people with hypertension need to be supported by stronger evidence and further clinical trials in order to be ultimately confirmed.Sve je više dokaza da je narušen sustav ljudske mikrobiote, kompleksnog eko sistema, povezan s patogenezom brojnih bolesti, među ostalim i arterijske hipertenzije (AH). Ova kompleksna kardiovaskularna bolest rezultat je još uvijek nepotpuno jasne uloge genetskih i okolišnih čimbenika. Liječenje AH pored medikamentnog liječenja obuhvaća i višestruke nefarmakološke mjere čiji temelj predstavljaju dijetalne intervencije. Najčešće korištene tvari kojima se nastoji održati zdrav mikrobiom ili uspostaviti ravnoteža pri poremećenoj bakterijskoj homeostazi u bolesti su, osim prehrane, probiotici i prebiotici. Iako mnoga istraživanja u zadnjem desetljeću potvrđuju učinak disbalansa crijevne mikrobiote (tzv. disbioze), za definitivnu potvrdu dobrobiti dijetalne intervencije probioticima kod osoba s AH, potrebni su snažniji dokazi te daljnja klinička istraživanja

Antecedents and Consequences of Agentic and Communal Stressful Life Events in Adolescence

The relationships among frequency and intensity measures of agentic and communal stressful life events was examined on the sample of 265 subjects ranging in age from 11 to 14 years. Also, the relations of the two measures of agentic and communal stressful life events (intensity and frequency) with several antecedents (age, sex, personality traits) and consequences (coping styles and school grades) were examined. The results obtained show that intensity and frequency measures represent different aspects of stressful experience. The relationships among variables are different in boys and girls, especially with regard to the types of stressful life events (agentic and communal). The participants\u27 age is significantly positively related to the frequency of agentic stressful events and overall frequency. Boys have significantly higher scores on the frequency of agentic and the frequency of overall stressful life events than girls. Eysenck\u27s personality traits better predict agentic stressful events and frequency measures on the subsample of boys, whereas they better predict communal stressful events and intensity measures on the subsample of girls. Furthermore, the intensity and frequency measures of agentic and communal stressful life events are related to different coping styles. Girls demonstrate greater differentiation in utilizing certain coping styles under the influences of various stressful events. In both subsamples, the frequency of agentic stressors is prospectively negatively related to school grades

Burnout in dispositional context: the role of personality traits, social support and coping styles

Big five personality traits, social support and coping styles were examined as predictors of three dimensions of burnout on the sample of 214 nurses using hierarchical regression analyses. Personality traits were included into the first step of the analyses, three sources of social support (co-workers, family and friends support) in the second, and in the third step three coping styles (problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and avoidance coping). The results show that out of five personality traits neuroticism positively predicted exhaustion, while agreeableness negatively predicted reduced professional efficacy. Regarding three sources of social support, only co-worker support negatively predicted exhaustion as well as reduced professional efficacy. Regarding coping styles examined, only avoidance coping positively predicted depersonalization. The results obtained were explained by several mechanisms through which personality variables may exert their effects on burnout

Personality, organizational stress, and attitudes toward work as prospective predictors of professional burnout in hospital nurses

Aim To examine to what extent personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness), organizational stress, and attitudes toward work and interactions between personality and either organizational stress or attitudes toward work prospectively predict 3 components of burnout. Methods The study was carried out on 118 hospital nurses. Data were analyzed by a set of hierarchical regression analyses, in which personality traits, measures of organizational stress, and attitudes toward work, as well as interactions between personality and either organizational stress or attitudes toward work were included as predictors, while 3 indices of burnout were measured 4 years later as criteria variables. Results Personality traits proved to be significant but weak prospective predictors of burnout and as a group predicted only reduced professional efficacy (R2 = 0.10), with agreeableness being a single negative predictor. Organizational stress was positive, affective-normative commitment negative predictor, while continuance commitment was not related to any dimension of burnout. We found interactions between neuroticism as well as conscientiousness and organizational stress, measured as role conflict and work overload, on reduced professional efficacy (βNRCWO = -0.30; ßcRCWO = -0.26). We also found interactions between neuroticism and affective normative commitment (β = 0.24) and between openness and continuance commitment on reduced professional efficacy (β = -0.23), as well as interactions between conscientiousness and continuance commitment on exhaustion. Conclusion Although contextual variables were strong prospective predictors and personality traits weak predictors of burnout, the results suggested the importance of the interaction between personality and contextual variables in predicting burnout

Experiences obtained in 4 years of work of the Clinical department of child and adolescent psychiatry in Osijek

U radu je prikazana struktura i organizacija Kliničkog odjela dječje i adolescentne psihijatrije od njezina početnog rada, početne strukture i sadašnje organizacije, te djelokruga rada u tijeku četverogodišnjeg funkcioniranja. U sadašnjem obliku timski su djeca u organiziranom angažmanu terapeuta. Broj hospitalizirane djece u prosjeku je godišnje oko 250, razvrstanih u najizrazitije dijagnostičke grupe, gdje je prve dvije godine najveća zastupljenost mlađe dobne skupine sa simptomom noćne enureze, a posljednje dvije godine adolescentna dob s adolescentnim kriznim odrastanjem.Clinical section for child and adolescent psychiatry treata school children by means of team observation. The members of the team are: a psychiatrist, professors of psychiology and nurses, a therapist and a music therapist. The metods used are group and individual psychotherapy, group and individual pedagogical treatment, music therapy and ocupational wark therapy. The everyday life at the clinic is organized by principles of a therapy communion. The population diverses in sex, age and diagnostic categorries, which has a certain meaning for the psycotherapeutical process. The major point at such a climic is constant and direct observation of the children, with clinical and pedagogical orientation and the study of the object relationships between a child and its environment. This kind of stationary psychotherapy is of a multidimensional apprech. Because of time limitations it is characterised by the use of facus psychotherapy the clinic as a »peaceful casis« for the therapy, constant observation of the nurses who spend 24 hour a day with the children, and the combination of different therap techiques and different therapists

Procjena genotoksičnih učinaka irinotekana i cisplatina na zdrave mišje stanice primjenom alkalnog komet testa

The purpose of cytostatic agents is to act exclusively upon tumor cells, and to inhibit growth or induce tumor cell death by impairing their cell cycle progression. However, the majority of these agents are not specific in their action, and subsequently produce toxic effects on healthy tissues causing significant adverse events in both patients and health professionals exposed to these drugs. Various cytogenetic and molecular biology assays play an important role in the assessment of genotoxic effects related to antineoplastic drugs. Within a short period after exposure to a potentially genotoxic agent, these assays are able to assess the level of cellular DNA damage and/or to monitor the dynamics of DNA repair. Sensitive techniques, such as alkaline comet assay, are of special importance in the detection of primary DNA damage occurring in individual cells regardless of the cell cycle phase. The aim of the study was to assess and compare DNA damage that irinotecan and cisplatin induce in peripheral leukocytes, and normal kidney, liver and brain cells of Swiss albino mice. The results show that both cytostatics produce statistically significant DNA damage in normal cells compared to the control group. Compared to irinotecan, cisplatin has a significantly more potent genotoxic effect on these cells, which may be attributed to various mechanisms of action of the studied drugs.Po svojoj namjeni citostatici bi trebali djelovati isključivo na tumorske stanice, te narušavanjem njihovog staničnog ciklusa spriječiti rast ili izazvati smrt tih stanica. Međutim, većina ovih lijekova je u svom djelovanju nespecifična, zbog čega se toksične posljedice odražavaju i na stanicama zdravih tkiva, a rezultat toga su značajne nuspojave u bolesnika i osoba koje su profesionalno izložene tim lijekovima. U procjeni genotoksičnih učinaka antineoplastičnih lijekova značajnu ulogu imaju različiti citogenetični i molekularno-biološki testovi. Pomoću njih u kratkom vremenskom razdoblju nakon izlaganja nekom potencijalno genotoksičnom agensu, možemo procijeniti razinu oštećenja stanične DNA i/ili pratiti dinamiku njenog popravka. Posebnu važnost imaju tehnike poput alkalnog komet testa koje omogućavaju osjetljivo otkrivanje primarnih oštećenja DNA u pojedinačnim stanicama, neovisno o fazi staničnog ciklusa. Cilj našeg istraživanja je bio ustanoviti i usporediti oštećenja DNA koja izazivaju irinotekan i cisplatina na leukocitima periferne krvi, na zdravim stanicama bubrega, jetre i mozga Swiss albino miševa. Sukladno rezultatima istraživanja oba citostatika dovode do statistički značajnih oštećenja DNA spomenutih zdravih stanica u odnosu na kontrolnu skupinu. Međusobno uspoređujući irinotekan i cisplatinu možemo zamijetiti da cisplatina ima statistički značajno jači genotoksični učinak od irinotekana na spomenute stanice, što pripisujemo različitim mehanizmima djelovanja promatranih citostatika

Procjena genotoksičnih učinaka irinotekana i cisplatina na zdrave mišje stanice primjenom alkalnog komet testa

The purpose of cytostatic agents is to act exclusively upon tumor cells, and to inhibit growth or induce tumor cell death by impairing their cell cycle progression. However, the majority of these agents are not specific in their action, and subsequently produce toxic effects on healthy tissues causing significant adverse events in both patients and health professionals exposed to these drugs. Various cytogenetic and molecular biology assays play an important role in the assessment of genotoxic effects related to antineoplastic drugs. Within a short period after exposure to a potentially genotoxic agent, these assays are able to assess the level of cellular DNA damage and/or to monitor the dynamics of DNA repair. Sensitive techniques, such as alkaline comet assay, are of special importance in the detection of primary DNA damage occurring in individual cells regardless of the cell cycle phase. The aim of the study was to assess and compare DNA damage that irinotecan and cisplatin induce in peripheral leukocytes, and normal kidney, liver and brain cells of Swiss albino mice. The results show that both cytostatics produce statistically significant DNA damage in normal cells compared to the control group. Compared to irinotecan, cisplatin has a significantly more potent genotoxic effect on these cells, which may be attributed to various mechanisms of action of the studied drugs.Po svojoj namjeni citostatici bi trebali djelovati isključivo na tumorske stanice, te narušavanjem njihovog staničnog ciklusa spriječiti rast ili izazvati smrt tih stanica. Međutim, većina ovih lijekova je u svom djelovanju nespecifična, zbog čega se toksične posljedice odražavaju i na stanicama zdravih tkiva, a rezultat toga su značajne nuspojave u bolesnika i osoba koje su profesionalno izložene tim lijekovima. U procjeni genotoksičnih učinaka antineoplastičnih lijekova značajnu ulogu imaju različiti citogenetični i molekularno-biološki testovi. Pomoću njih u kratkom vremenskom razdoblju nakon izlaganja nekom potencijalno genotoksičnom agensu, možemo procijeniti razinu oštećenja stanične DNA i/ili pratiti dinamiku njenog popravka. Posebnu važnost imaju tehnike poput alkalnog komet testa koje omogućavaju osjetljivo otkrivanje primarnih oštećenja DNA u pojedinačnim stanicama, neovisno o fazi staničnog ciklusa. Cilj našeg istraživanja je bio ustanoviti i usporediti oštećenja DNA koja izazivaju irinotekan i cisplatina na leukocitima periferne krvi, na zdravim stanicama bubrega, jetre i mozga Swiss albino miševa. Sukladno rezultatima istraživanja oba citostatika dovode do statistički značajnih oštećenja DNA spomenutih zdravih stanica u odnosu na kontrolnu skupinu. Međusobno uspoređujući irinotekan i cisplatinu možemo zamijetiti da cisplatina ima statistički značajno jači genotoksični učinak od irinotekana na spomenute stanice, što pripisujemo različitim mehanizmima djelovanja promatranih citostatika

Nutrition Labelling on Food Products

Obveza svih proizvođača hrane jest osigurati visoku razinu zaštite potrošača, što znači da proizvedena hrana mora biti zdravstveno ispravna i pravilno deklarirana te treba osigurati da potrošač dobije sve relevantne informacije o proizvodu kojega kupuje. Hrana na tržištu Europske unije će od prosinca 2016. morati biti označena podatcima o hranjivoj vrijednosti. Stvarne hranjive vrijednosti hrane mogu se razlikovati u odnosu na deklarirane vrijednosti, stoga je važno definirati i navoditi prosječnu hranjivu vrijednost na proizvodu. Prosječna vrijednost je vrijednost koja najbolje predstavlja količinu hranjivih tvari koju hrana sadrži, uključujući sve čimbenike koji dovode do odstupanja od stvarne vrijednosti. U najvećem broju zemalja prihvatljiva odstupanja navedenih hranjivih vrijednosti hrane u odnosu na analitičke vrijednosti nisu definirana propisima nego nacionalnim vodičima. Europska komisija je krajem 2012. godine pripremila vodič za hranu i dodatke prehrani radi primjene jedinstvenih kriterija za prihvatljiva odstupanja, a što je predviđeno i novom Uredbom (EU) br.1169/2011 Europskog Parlamenta i Vijeća od 25. listopada 2011. o pružanju potrošačima informacija o hrani i označavanju hrane. Vodič ima za cilj da kroz utvrđena dozvoljena odstupanja osigura potrošačima točne informacije o kvaliteti hrane te služi kao pomoć proizvođačima hrane i nadležnim institucijama prilikom službenih kontrola hrane. U radu su prikazani primjeri prihvatljivih odstupanja kod označavanja hranjive vrijednosti hrane koji vrijede u pojedinim zemljama s posebnim osvrtom na one iz Europske unije te rezultati istraživanja provedenih na nekim tržištima o sukladnosti stvarnih hranjivih vrijednosti hrane s onima navedenim na deklaraciji, uvažavajući dozvoljene tolerancije po pojedinim tržištima.Obligation of all food producers is to ensure a high level of consumer protection, which means that food must be produced as safe and properly declared and ensure that the consumers receive all relevant information about the products they buy. From December 2016 in the European Union food have to be labelled with nutrition data. Since the actual nutritional value of food can vary in relation to the declared value, it is important to define and specify the average nutritional value of the product. The average value is the quantity that best represents the amount of nutrients contained in food, including all factors that cause deviations from the true value. In most countries there is no clear definition of acceptable tolerances for nutritional values of food in relation to the analytical values in the appropriate regulations of national guidelines. At the end of 2012th European Commission prepared the guide for foods and food supplements to apply the uniform criteria for acceptable tolerances, which has been provided in the new Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011. Through established tolerances the new guide aims to provide accurate information to consumers concerning the quality of food and to help food manufacturers and competent institutions during the official control work. This paper shows on the one hand some examples of acceptable tolerances for nutritional values on food labelling in several countries, with the special emphasis on those in the European Union, on the other hand presents research work conducted in some countries related to conformity of the real nutritional value with those listed on the label, taking into account the allowed tolerance by individual market

Experiences obtained in 4 years of work of the Clinical department of child and adolescent psychiatry in Osijek

U radu je prikazana struktura i organizacija Kliničkog odjela dječje i adolescentne psihijatrije od njezina početnog rada, početne strukture i sadašnje organizacije, te djelokruga rada u tijeku četverogodišnjeg funkcioniranja. U sadašnjem obliku timski su djeca u organiziranom angažmanu terapeuta. Broj hospitalizirane djece u prosjeku je godišnje oko 250, razvrstanih u najizrazitije dijagnostičke grupe, gdje je prve dvije godine najveća zastupljenost mlađe dobne skupine sa simptomom noćne enureze, a posljednje dvije godine adolescentna dob s adolescentnim kriznim odrastanjem.Clinical section for child and adolescent psychiatry treata school children by means of team observation. The members of the team are: a psychiatrist, professors of psychiology and nurses, a therapist and a music therapist. The metods used are group and individual psychotherapy, group and individual pedagogical treatment, music therapy and ocupational wark therapy. The everyday life at the clinic is organized by principles of a therapy communion. The population diverses in sex, age and diagnostic categorries, which has a certain meaning for the psycotherapeutical process. The major point at such a climic is constant and direct observation of the children, with clinical and pedagogical orientation and the study of the object relationships between a child and its environment. This kind of stationary psychotherapy is of a multidimensional apprech. Because of time limitations it is characterised by the use of facus psychotherapy the clinic as a »peaceful casis« for the therapy, constant observation of the nurses who spend 24 hour a day with the children, and the combination of different therap techiques and different therapists