Legacy of the Pinterović family in the collections of the City and University library Osijek

Private libraries in possession of the City and University Library Osijek are witnesses of life in Osijek as an artistic, cultural, and political centre, but they also help us reconstruct the social attitudes and citizens’ customs. They are the legacy of intellectuals and profiled readers from Osijek in the beginning and the middle of the 20th century, of active cultured citizens, fellow translators, writers, historians, politicians, mayors, who contributed to the development of Osijek with their work. By leaving a part of her private library to a public institution (that is not the Museum), Danica Pinterović showed how much she cared for conserving the printed legacy and passing it to new generations. Her legacy in the City and University Library Osijek is a living trace in the culture and a contribution to the fund of local history and monumental collection. The legacy of Danica and Ante Pinterović was received in the fund of Local History Collection of the City and University Library Osijek in 1980’s. It consists of 195 books, most of them from the field of literature. The legacy was formed between the end of the 19th century (when Danica’s father Ante was active) until 1980’s. Before 1900, 33 books were printed. The oldest one is in German and was printed in 1864. The oldest of the Croatian books is Smrt Smail-age Čengijića (Death of Smail-Aga Čengijić) by Ivan Mažuranić and it was printed in 1883. The collection contains only one book that was printed andp ublished in Osijek (print by Eugen Sekler), the anthology of world literature Sa stranih njiva: rukovet cvijeća, trnja i zrnja (From foreign fields: a bouquet of flower, thorns and grains) in the selection of Hugo Krieshaber from 1929, digitalised in 2017. The exceptional value of the Pinterović family’s legacy, like of other legacies of prominent Osijek citizens in the library, lies in its provenance. The traces of the readers are visible in property tags, dedications, and personal notes, which can be found in 43 books of the Pinterović legacy. Most of the books are often marked with a blue printed ex libris of the legacy owner, family members, their signatures, but also the signatures of former book owners, giving us information about the whole history of the books, their provenance

Antioxidant Pre-Treatment Reduces the Toxic Effects of Oxalate on Renal Epithelial Cells in a Cell Culture Model of Urolithiasis

Urolithiasis is characterized by the formation and retention of solid crystals within the urinary tract. Kidney stones are mostly composed of calcium oxalate, which predominantly generates free radicals that are toxic to renal tubular cells. The aim of the study is to explore possible effects of antioxidant pre-treatment on inhibition of oxidative stress. Three cell lines were used as in vitro model of urolithiasis: MDCK I, MDCK II and LLC-PK1. Oxidative stress was induced by exposure of cells to sodium oxalate in concentration of 8 mM. In order to prevent oxidative stress, cells were pre-treated with three different concentrations of l-arginine and vitamin E. Oxidative stress was evaluated by determining the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), osteopontin (OPN), and by the concentration of glutathione (GSH). In all three cell lines, pre-treatment of antioxidants increased cell survival. Positive correlation of SOD and OPN expression as well as GSH concentration was observed in all groups of cells. Our results indicate that an antioxidant pre-treatment with l-arginine and vitamin E is able to hamper oxalate-induced oxidative stress in kidney epithelial cells and as such could play a role in prevention of urolithiasis

Association of Wnt Inhibitors, Bone Mineral Density and Lifestyle Parameters in Women with Breast Cancer Treated with Anastrozole Therapy

Aim: To determine the levels of Wnt inhibitors in patients treated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) prior to therapy and to investigate their association with bone mineral density (BMD) and lifestyle parameters. Methods: 137 breast cancer patients were divided into a group treated with 1 mg of anastrozole and a group w/o anastrozole therapy. Serum concentrations of sclerostin and dickkopf1 (DKK1) were measured by ELISA. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Lifestyle factors were investigated by a self-reported questionnaire. Results: Sclerostin was significantly higher in the AI-treated group (31.8 pmol/L vs. 24.1 pmol/L; p < 0.001), whereas DKK1 was significantly lower in the AI-treated group (24.3 pmol/L vs. 26.02 pmol/L; p < 0.001). Total hip and femoral neck BMD were significantly lower in the AI-treated group. Conclusion: AI treatment was associated with increased levels of sclerostin and decreased levels of DKK1

Antioxidant Pre-treatment Reduces the Toxic Effects of Oxalate on Renal Epithelial Cells in a Cell Culture Model of Urolithiasis

Urolithiasis is characterized by the formation and retention of solid crystals within the urinary tract. Kidney stones are mostly composed of calcium oxalate, which predominantly generates free radicals that are toxic to renal tubular cells. The aim of the study is to explore possible effects of antioxidant pre-treatment on inhibition of oxidative stress. Three cell lines were used as in vitro model of urolithiasis: MDCK I, MDCK II and LLC-PK1. Oxidative stress was induced by exposure of cells to sodium oxalate in concentration of 8 mM. In order to prevent oxidative stress, cells were pre-treated with three different concentrations of l-arginine and vitamin E. Oxidative stress was evaluated by determining the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), osteopontin (OPN), and by the concentration of glutathione (GSH). In all three cell lines, pre-treatment of antioxidants increased cell survival. Positive correlation of SOD and OPN expression as well as GSH concentration was observed in all groups of cells. Our results indicate that an antioxidant pre-treatment with l-arginine and vitamin E is able to hamper oxalate-induced oxidative stress in kidney epithelial cells and as such could play a role in prevention of urolithiasi