Maternal education, health profession and cigarette smoking are decisive factors for self-medication in children by parents

Self-medication of children by their parents (SMCP) is an important public health issue as the effects and potential risks may be unpredictable. The objective of this first national Montenegrin study was to assess the prevalence of and factors influencing SMCP among schoolchildren. Data were obtained from a national representative sample of 4496 schoolchildren aged 7–13 years (50.4 % boys). Parents/caregivers completed a questionnaire concerning their demographic characteristics, socio-economic and cultural status, as well as the self-medication (SM) of their children. The association between SMCP and parents\u27 socio-economic, demographic or cultural status was assessed by logistic regression analyses. The prevalence rate of SMCP was 24.6 %. Univariate logistic regression showed that maternal socio-demographic characteristics (educational level, employment status, health care profession and smoking habits) were relevant for SMCP. In a multiple logistic regression the independent effect /adjusted odds ratio (AOR) (95 % CI)/ of maternal factors on SMCP remained for: education /2.23 (1.18–4.24)/, university-level vs. no education; profession /1.50 (1.07–3.00)/, health profession vs. non-health profession; and smoking habit /1.22 (1.04–1.42)/smokers vs. non-smokers. SMCP may be expected for every fourth child in Montenegro. Specific maternal factors that independently raise the probability of SMCP are higher education, health profession and smoking

Ektoparaziti brancina u Bokokotorskom zalivu

The objective of this work has been to examine the presence, identify ectoparasite species and extensity and intensity of infection of Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) cultivated in cage systems of breeding in Boka Kotorska Bay during a production cycle. Additionally, pathomorphological and pathohistological changes in infected fish caused by parasites have been examined. The examination covered both juveniles and adult fish. The examinations were performed during three seasons: in the spring, summer and autumn of 2009. By examining ectoparasitic fauna in cage systems of Cogi in Boka Kotorska Bay, we found the presence of the following parasites: Diplectanum aequans, Trichodina spp., Amyloodinium ocellatum. The most important ectoparasitic species in Sea Bass in our examination was Diplectanum aequans – monogenean gill parasite. This parasite in a case of big infestation can cause disease diplectanosis. The extensity of infection caused by identified ectoparasite species varied depending on the season, but the biggest was during the summer, while the intensity was generally low. Therefore, no significant damage was noted in the cage systems. Minor pathomorphological and pathohistological changes were noted in the infected fish. Due to low intensity of parasitic fauna, no specific therapy administration was required. However, more intensive administration of prophylactic measures and regular veterinary surveillance could result in significant reduction in the presence of parasites and, consequently, more efficient performance

Photocatalytic degradation of metoprolol tartrate in suspensions of two TiO2-based photocatalysts with different surface area. Identification of intermediates and proposal of degradation pathways.

This study investigates the efficiency of the photocatalytic degradation of metoprolol tartrate (MET), a widely used β 1-blocker, in TiO 2 suspensions of Wackherr's " Oxyde de titane standard" and Degussa P25. The study encompasses transformation kinetics and efficiency, identification of intermediates and reaction pathways. In the investigated range of initial concentrations (0.01-0.1mM), the photocatalytic degradation of MET in the first stage of the reaction followed approximately a pseudo-first order kinetics. The TiO 2 Wackherr induced a significantly faster MET degradation compared to TiO 2 Degussa P25 when relatively high substrate concentrations were used. By examining the effect of ethanol as a scavenger of hydroxyl radicals (OH), it was shown that the reaction with OH played the main role in the photocatalytic degradation of MET. After 240min of irradiation the reaction intermediates were almost completely mineralized to CO 2 and H 2O, while the nitrogen was predominantly present as NH4+. Reaction intermediates were studied in detail and a number of them were identified using LC-MS/MS (ESI+), which allowed the proposal of a tentative pathway for the photocatalytic transformation of MET as a function of the TiO 2 specimen

Comparison of Essential Metals in Different Pork Meat Cuts from the Serbian Market

AbstractPork consumption in Serbia accounts for a large share of total meat consumption. Pork is valuable sources of nutrients. We analyzed metal content in three different cuts of pork collected from the Serbian market during 2014. Analyses of the following isotopes: zinc (66Zn), copper (63Cu) and iron (57Fe) were performed by ICP-MS. Our data show that Zn, Cu and Fe were present in significantly different levels in hind leg, loin and shoulder, and that shoulder meat was richest in the analyzed metals. The differing mineral status of different pork cuts implies differences in their nutritional benefits for the human diet

Factorial design in isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography of phenolic compounds

A multifactor optimization strategy was utilized to predict the isocratic HPLC separation of nine phenols. The retention behavior was studied as a function of changing eluent (methanol - acetic acid) composition. The predicted and measured retentions; are in rather good agreement. To locate the optimum in the factor space, the normalized resolution product criterion was applied. In virtually every case, the resolution is limited by the separation of the 2-chlorophenol and 2,4-dinitrophenol pair

Characterisation of surface oxygen groups on different carbon materials by the Boehm method and temperature-programmed desorption

The surface characteristics of different carbon materials: activated carbon, carbon felt, glassy carbon and a porous carbon monolith were investigated. The specific surface area was examined by the BET method with N(2) adsorption, the amount and the type of surface oxygen groups by Boehm titration as well as by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). By comparing the results obtained using BET analysis with those of TPD and the Boehm method, it was found that the number of surface groups was not proportional to the specific surface area. The total amount of oxygen groups, obtained by TPD, is higher than the amount obtained by Boehms method for porous samples. The inconsistencies between these results originate from the fact that the Boehm method is limited to the determination of acidic and basic groups, whereas TPD provides information on the total number of all surface oxygen groups. In addition, the presence of porosity could reduce the solvent-accessible surface in the Boehm method. The TPD profiles of CO evolution showed the presence of a low temperature maximum, below 650 K, which originates from CO(2) reduction on the carbon material surface

A TPD-MS study of glassy carbon surfaces oxidized by CO2 and O-2

The temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) method combined with mass spectrometric (MS) analysis has been applied to investigate the surface properties of carbon materials. The apparatus consisting of a temperature-programmed furnace and a quadrupole Mass spectrometer was constructed in order to characterize the surface of differently treated glassy carbon samples. In this work, samples of glassy carbon exposed to air, CO2 and O-2 were examined. The desorption of H2O, CO and CO2, as major products, indicated the presence of different oxide groups. The amount of these groups for all samples was calculated. It is concluded that oxidation affects the nature and the amount of die surface oxide groups and contributes to their increased stability

Current status of transplantation and organ donation in the Balkans-could it be improved through the South-eastern European health Network (SEEHN) initiative?

Organ donation and transplantation activity in the majority of Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria) are lagging far behind international averages. Inadequate financial resources, unclear regional data and lack of governmental infrastructure are some of the issues which should be recognized to draw attention and problem-solving decisions. The Regional Health Development Centre (RHDC) Croatia, being a technical body of the South-eastern European Health Network (SEEHN), was created in 2011 after Croatia's great success in the field over the last 10 years. The aim of the RHDC is to network the region and provide individualized country support to increase donation and transplantation activity in collaboration with professional societies (European Society of Organ Transplantation, European Transplant Coordinators Organization, The Transplantation Society and International Society of Organ Donation and Procurement). Such an improvement would in turn likely prevent transplant tourism. The regional data from 2010 show large discrepancies in donation and transplantation activities within geographically neighbouring countries. Thus, proposed actions to improve regional donation and transplantation rates include advancing living and deceased donation through regular public education, creating current and accurate waiting lists and increasing number of educated transplant nephrologists and hospital coordinators. In addition to the effort from the professionals, the governmental support with allocated funds per deceased donation, updated legislation and established national coordinating body is ultimately recognized as essential for the successful donation and transplantation programmes. By continuous RHDC communication and support asked from the health authorities and motivated professionals from the SEEHN initiative, an increased number of deceased as well as living donor kidney transplantations in the future should be more realistic

ARTESUNATE PROTECTS AGAINST THE ORGAN INJURY AND DYSFUNCTION INDUCED BY SEVERE HEMORRHAGE AND RESUSCITATION

RS is supported by the Program Science without Borders, CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasilia, DF, Brazil; KKN is supported by British Heart Foundation (grant no. FS/10/57/28485); NSAP is, in part, supported by the Bart’s and The London Charity (753/1722). The research leading to these results has received funding from the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ 2007–2013) under REA grant agreement no 608765, from the William Harvey Research Foundation and the University of Turin (Ricerca Locale ex-60%). This work contributes to the Organ Protection research theme of the Barts Centre for Trauma Sciences, supported by the Barts and The London Charity (Award 753/1722) and forms part of the research themes contributing to the translational research portfolio of Barts and the London Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit that is supported and funded by the National Institute of Health Research