Introducing the notion of social context of collective trauma to ESTSS

Living amidst war and mass suffering while grasping the opportunity for professional growth, intertwined into my life perspective. Along the years, ESTSS provided a backdrop for my contacts with mental health colleagues from whom I learned, and among whom many became my friends. These rich experiences guided me towards promoting awareness within ESTSS of the importance of social context in which healing of traumatized populations is expected to progress. Each incident of organized violence leaves behind new scores of traumatized individuals and family members, among whom many will need support that may stretch their resources beyond reasonable limits. We need to acknowledge the hindering effects of living in such a social context and that many people that we meet as professionals may carry the burden of unresolved trauma, which should not go by unattended

Variation in vertebrae shape across small‐bodied newts reveals functional and developmental constraints acting upon the trunk region

Animal science

Ladies in armor: a micro‐computed tomographic study of skin calcification in European toads (genus Bufo)

Animal sciencesNaturali

Treatment of osteoporosis alveolar bone with cobalt substituted hydroxyapatite nanoparticles

In this study nanocomposite was used for reconstruction of alveolar bone defect of mandible. Specifically, the main interest for the use of magnetic nanoparticles in biomedical applications is that an inhomogeneous external magnetic field exerts a force on them, and thus they can be manipulated or transported to a specific diseased tissue by a magnetic field gradient. In addition, magnetic particles are of interest because they do not retain any magnetism after removal of the magnetic field. Specifically, inorganic biodegradable nanoparticles (including ceramics, like hydroxyapatite) will be functionalized with bioactive compounds that bond to bone of low mass. Extremely good results in the recovery of alveolar bone osteoporosis were achieved already after 6th week of the application of magnetic nanoparticles. After bonding specifically to osteoporotic bone and not healthy bone, magnetic nanoparticle systems will deliver bioactive compounds to locally increase bone mass. Implantation of magnetic nanoparticles will create bone construction and enable quick formation of new bone and become the material of choice for accelerated bone regeneration

Selective Anticancer Activity of Hydroxyapatite/Chitosan-poly(d,l)-lactide-co-glycolide Particles Loaded with an Androstane-Based Cancer Inhibitor

In an earlier study we demonstrated that hydroxyapatite nanoparticles coated with chitosan-poly(d,l)-lactide-co-glycolide (HAp/Ch-PLGA) target lungs following their intravenous injection into mice. In this study we utilize an emulsification process and freeze drying to load the composite HAp/Ch-PLGA particles with 17β-hydroxy-17α-picolyl-androst-5-en-3β-yl-acetate (A), a chemotherapeutic derivative of androstane and a novel compound with a selective anticancer activity against lung cancer cells. 1H NMR and 13C NMR techniques confirmed the intact structure of the derivative A following its entrapment within HAp/Ch-PLGA particles. The thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses coupled with mass spectrometry were used to assess the thermal degradation products and properties of A-loaded HAp/Ch-PLGA. The loading efficiency, as indicated by the comparison of enthalpies of phase transitions in pure A and A-loaded HAp/Ch-PLGA, equaled 7.47 wt.%. The release of A from HAp/Ch-PLGA was sustained, neither exhibiting a burst release nor plateauing after three weeks. Atomic force microscopy and particle size distribution analyses were used to confirm that the particles were spherical with a uniform size distribution of d50 = 168 nm. In vitro cytotoxicity testing of A-loaded HAp/Ch-PLGA using MTT and trypan blue dye exclusion assays demonstrated that the particles were cytotoxic to the A549 human lung carcinoma cell line (46 ± 2%), while simultaneously preserving high viability (83 ± 3%) of regular MRC5 human lung fibroblasts and causing no harm to primary mouse lung fibroblasts. In conclusion, composite A-loaded HAp/Ch-PLGA particles could be seen as promising drug delivery platforms for selective cancer therapies, targeting malignant cells for destruction, while having a significantly lesser cytotoxic effect on the healthy cells

Regeneration bone tissue by new nanoparticules system based on hydroxiapatite as systems for local delivery of vitamin D3

Increased life expectancy in developed countries leads to an increase in the number of musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoporosis, oasteoratritis thus compromising good dental treatment. There are many drug delivery systems based on hydroxyapatite used in bone tissue regeneration. Vitamin D3 is osteodiferentiation factor which regulates bone formation by increasing osteoblast differentiation and bone mineralization. The aim of this study is to examine new multifunctional nanoparticulate system for local delivery of active form of vitamin D3 by biochemical blood marker and histochemical analysis. The research was carried out on female Westar rats, aged 6-8 weeks, which have been implanted biomaterials in the artificial bone defect. Biochemical markers of osteogenesis were statistically significant after only 6 weeks of implantation. ALP activity in bone tissue was showed by histochemical analysis as well as high level reparatory skills. Local realized Vitamin D3 contribute to bone formation by increasing osteoblast differentiation and bone mineralization

Organobentonite: Characterization and Adsorptive Properties towards Phenol and its Derivatives

Bentonite from Mecji Do locality in Serbia was modified with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA-Br), and the sample was denoted as HDTMA-MD. The characterization of the material included X-Ray diffraction, elemental analysis and point of zero charge determination. The adsorption of phenol and its nitro derivatives: 2-nitrophenol (2NP), 3-nitrophenol (3NP) and 4-nitrophenol (4NP) on HDTMA-MD was investigated. The adsorption capacity of HDTMA-MD toward phenol derivatives increased in the following order q(e) (phenol) LT q(e) (3NP) LT q(e) (2NP) LT q(e) (4NP). The influence of adsorption time and initial concentration on the adsorption efficiency of HDTMA-MD was studied for 4NP. The data were best fitted with Langmuir isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model

Rubbery taproot disease of sugar beet in Serbia associated with 'Candidatus phytoplasma solani'

Rubbery taproot disease (RTD) of sugar beet was observed in Serbia for the first time in the 1960s. The disease was already described in neighboring Bulgaria and Romania at the time but it was associated with abiotic factors. In this study on RTD of sugar beet in its main growing area of Serbia, we provide evidence of the association between 'Candidatus Phytoplasma solani' (stolbur phytoplasma) infection and the occurrence of typical RTD symptomatology. 'Ca. P. solani' was identified by PCR and the sequence analyses of 16S ribosomal RNA, tuf, secY, and stamp genes. In contrast, the causative agent of the syndrome “basses richesses” of sugar beet-namely, 'Ca. Arsenophonus phytopathogenicus'-was not detected. Sequence analysis of the stolbur strain's tuf gene confirmed a previously reported and a new, distinct tuf stolbur genotype (named 'tuf d') that is prevalent in sugar beet. The sequence signatures of the tuf gene as well as the one of stamp both correlate with the epidemiological cycle and reservoir plant host. This study provides knowledge that, for the first time, enables the differentiation of stolbur strains associated with RTD of sugar beet from closely related strains, thereby providing necessary information for further epidemiological work seeking to identify insect vectors and reservoir plant hosts. The results of this study indicate that there are differences in hybrid susceptibility. Clarifying the etiology of RTD as a long-known and economically important disease is certainly the first step toward disease management in Serbia and neighboring countries.This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Ćurčić Ž., Stepanović J., Zübert C., Taški-Ajduković K., Kosovac A., Rekanović E., Kube M., Duduk B. Rubbery taproot disease of sugar beet in Serbia associated with 'Candidatus phytoplasma solani'. Plant Disease 2021, 105 (2), 255 – 263. [https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-07-20-1602-RE]