A questionnaire for assessing fear of radiotherapy in oncology patients

© 2018, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Radiotherapy is a frequently prescribed and highly effective form of treatment of oncology patients. However, many patients feel rational or irrational fear of the application of radiotherapy, which may provoke mental and physical stress, anxiety, growing anger and hostility, thus reducing quality of life. The aim of this study was to develop, reliability test and validate a questionnaire for assessing the level of fear of radiotherapy in oncology patients. We performed a prospective qualitative study based on the development, validation and reliability testing of the questionnaire developed for assessing radiotherapy-caused fear in oncology patients treated in the Centre for Oncology and Radiology, Department of Radiotherapy, Clinical Centre Kragujevac. The study included 154 patients and the final version of the questionnaire integrated 15 questions. After the elimination of inappropriate questions the Cronbach coefficient α was 0.946. The questionnaire consists of two factors which represent 57.423% and 6.925%, making a total of 64.348% of the variance of the questionnaire. The results of our study show that the questionnaire used is a unique, reliable and valid instrument for assessing the level of fear of radiotherapy in oncology patients the application of which will allow us to identify patients with elevated levels of fear of radiotherapy

Uticaj načina dimljenja na prinos, hemijski sastav i senzorna svojstva dimljene ribe

This study compared the effects of smoking processes on the production weight losses, chemical and sensory characteristics of smoked fish - rainbow trout (Oncorchynchus mykiss, Walbaum) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio L). The averge production weight losses, determined in the conditions of our experiments, ranged from 9.60 % (cold smoked carp fillets) to 20.90% (cold smoked trout fillets). The smoking process reduced the moisture content and increased the protein, lipids and NaCl content in all investigated samples. The overall sensory quality of coldsmoked trout fillets was best estimated (4.66), while the overall sensory quality of coldsmoked carp fillets was the least acceptable (3.94)

Formation of amino acid derived 2-thiohydantoins - An experimental and theoretical study

Hydantoins and thiohydantoins derived from amino acids are an interesting subset of compounds that have a wide range of chemical and biological properties. The chemistry of amino acid derived hydantoins does not require rigorous conditions and thus, their formation is plausible in physiological conditions. Hydantoins have been isolated from urine in cases where protein consumption is increased. This raises a question of chemical and biological implications of their presence and, accordingly, elucidation of mechanisms trough which they are formed gains importance. The reaction of 2-thiohydantoin formation from corresponding amino acids was monitored by 1H NMR spectroscopy and rate constants were determined. The mechanism of the reaction was examined using the M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) theoretical model. The calculated rate constants of the reaction and the observed rate constants determined using NMR spectroscopy are in a good accordance. On the basis of the theoretical calculations, a different mechanism from the previously reported is proposed.Publishe

Acute effects of nandrolone decanoate on oxidative stress in isolated rat heart

Abuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) produces side effects in different tissues, with oxidative stress linked to their pathophysiology, being involved in fibrosis, cellular proliferation, and tumorigenesis. The aim of this study was to examine the acute effects of nandrolone decanoate (ND) on oxidative stress in isolated rat heart. The hearts of male Wistar albino were excised and perfused according to the Langendorff technique at gradually increasing coronary perfusion pressures (40-120 cm H2O). The hearts were perfused with ND at doses of 1, 10 and 100 μM. Oxidative stress markers, including the index of lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)), nitric oxide (nitrites; NO2-), the superoxide anion radical (O2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were measured in the coronary venous effluent. Our results showed that acute effects of ND do not promote the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Our finding pointed out that the highest concentration of ND may even possess some anti-oxidative potential, which should be examined further

EPS-SJ exopolisaccharide produced by the strain Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei BGSJ2-8 is involved in adhesion to epithelial intestinal cells and decrease on E. coli association to Caco-2 cells

The aim of this study was to determine the role of an exopolysaccharide produced by natural dairy isolate Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei BGSJ2-8, in the adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells and a decrease in Escherichia coli's association with Caco-2 cells. Annotation of the BGSJ2-8 genome showed the presence of a gene cluster, epsSJ, which encodes the biosynthesis of the strain-specific exopolysaccharide EPS-SJ, detected as two fractions (P1 and P2) by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) coupled with multi-angle laser light scattering (MALLS) detection. SEC-MALLS analysis revealed that an EPS-SJ- mutant (EPS7, obtained by insertion mutagenesis of the glps_2198 gene encoding primary glycosyltransferase) does not produce the P2 fraction of EPS-SJ. Transmission electron microscopy showed that EPS7 mutant has a thinner cell wall compared to the EPS-SJ strain BGSJ2-83 (a plasmid free-derivative of BGSJ2-8). Interestingly, strain BGSJ2-83 showed higher adhesion to Caco-2 epithelial intestinal cell line than the EPS7 mutant. Accordingly, BGSJ2-83 effectively reduced E. coli ATCC25922's association with Caco-2 cells, while EPS7 did not show statistically significant differences. In addition, the effect of EPS-SJ on the proliferation of lymphocytes in gastrointestinal associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) was tested and the results showed that the reduction of GALT lymphocyte proliferation was higher by BGSJ2-83 than by the mutant. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report indicating that the presence of EPS (EPS-SJ) on the surface of lactobacilli can improve communication between bacteria and intestinal epithelium*Implying its possible role in gut colonization.Peer Reviewe

A protocol for thoracic radiation therapy in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices

Prolonged lifespan and improved diagnostic and treatment modalities have led to significant progress in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease and cancer. A substantial number of patients with malignancies also have cardiovascular disease at the time of cancer treatment. Per literature, over one million implantable cardiac devices are inserted annually. Ionizing radiation, especially in the thoracic area is related to cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) damage and malfunction. Besides that, CIED can interfere with radiotherapy planning and delivery, as well as patient motivation to undergo radiotherapy treatment. Management of oncology patients, undergoing radiotherapy, for any indication, with a CIED is essential, and safe radiotherapy practice requires minimizing the risk to patients as much as possible, from pretherapy planning to posttherapy follow-up. A collaborative multidisciplinary approach, tailor-made for every single radiotherapy center is imperative to provide effective and safe radiotherapy for these patients. A collaboration of radiation oncologists, medical physicists and cardiologists from the University Clinical Center Kragujevac has created a local protocol for radiotherapy treatment and follow-up for patients receiving radiotherapy at the Center for Radiation Oncology University C linical Center Kragujevac, which provides safe and efficient delivery of an adequate radiotherapy dose to target volumes with appropriate cardiac monitoring.Publishe

Effects of allergic diseases and age on the composition of serum IgG glycome in children

Acknowledgements Glycan analysis was partly supported by European Commission GlycoBioM (contract #259869), IBD-BIOM (contract #305479), HighGlycan (contract #278535), MIMOmics (contract #305280), HTP-GlycoMet (contract #324400) and IntegraLife (contract #315997) grants. The SEATON cohort was partly funded by the UK Medical Research Council (contract #80219) and Asthma UK (contract #00/011 and 02/017) grants.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Uticaj biljnih ulja na fizičko-hemijska i senzorna svojstva suvih fermentisanih kobasica

In order to improve the functional properties of dry fermented sausages, one part of backfat can be substituted with oils that have a more favourable fatty acid profile. In this experiment, one part of backfat in the mixture for dry fermented sausages was replaced with flaxseed and grapeseed oils prepared as alginate gel, with the content of oil in the mixture equalling 3% and 5%. The type and amount of oil did not affect the change in pH values. Sausages with flaxseed oil received lower grades for colour, odour, flavour and overall acceptability compared with the control and grapeseed oil variant. Increase in the flaxseed oil content in the mixture resulted in lower sensory analysis grades.U smislu poboljšanja funkcionalnih svojstava suvih fermentisanih kobasica moguće je deo masnog tkiva zameniti uljima s povoljnijim masnokiselinskim profilom. U ovom ogledu deo čvrstog masnog tkiva u nadevu suvih fermentisanih kobasica zamenjen je lanenim i uljem od koštica grožđa pripremljenim kao alginatni gel tako da je u nadevu sadržaj ulja bio oko 3% i 5%. Vrsta i količina ulja nisu uticali na tok promene pH vrednosti. Kobasice s lanenim uljem ocenjene su manjim ocenama u pogledu boje, mirisa, ukusa i ukupne prihvatljivosti u odnosu na kontrolnu kobasicu i kobasice sa uljem od koštica grožđa. Povećanje sadržaja lanenog ulja u nadevu uticalo je na smanjenje ocena senzorne analize

Genomics-Based Insights Into the Biosynthesis and Unusually High Accumulation of Free Fatty Acids by Streptomyces sp NP10

Schneider O, Ilic-Tomic T, Rückert C, et al. Genomics-Based Insights Into the Biosynthesis and Unusually High Accumulation of Free Fatty Acids by Streptomyces sp NP10. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY. 2018;9: 10.Streptomyces sp. NP10 was previously shown to synthesize large amounts of free fatty acids (FFAs). In this work, we report the first insights into the biosynthesis of these fatty acids (FAs) gained after genome sequencing and identification of the genes involved. Analysis of the Streptomyces sp. NP10 draft genome revealed that it is closely related to several strains of Streptomyces griseus. Comparative analyses of secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters, as well as those presumably involved in FA biosynthesis, allowed identification of an unusual cluster C12-2, which could be identified in only one other S. griseus-related streptomycete. To prove the involvement of identified cluster in FFA biosynthesis, one of its three ketosynthase genes was insertionally inactivated to generate mutant strain mNP10. Accumulation of FFAs in mNP10 was almost completely abolished, reaching less than 0.01% compared to the wild-type strain. Cloning and transfer of the C12-2 cluster to the mNP10 mutant partially restored FFA production, albeit to a low level. The discovery of this rare FFA biosynthesis cluster opens possibilities for detailed characterization of the roles of individual genes and their products in the biosynthesis of FFAs in NP10