Rosemary essential oils as a promising source of bioactive compounds: Chemical composition, thermal properties, biological activity, and gastronomical perspectives

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is a plant worldwide cultivated mainly for essential oils, extracts, and as a spice. Up-to-date results showed diversity in composition of the essential oils, which may influence their quality, biological activity, and thermal properties. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition, antimicrobial activity, and thermal properties of the rosemary essential oils originating from Serbia and Russia. Additionally, oils were added to the sunflower oils in order to investigate possible antioxidant activity during the frying. Investigation of the chemical profile marked α-pinene, eucalyptol, and camphor as the most abundant compounds in both oils. However, overall composition influenced in such manner that Russian oil showed significantly higher antimicrobial activity, while Serbian oil proved to be better antioxidant agent in case of frying of sunflower oil. This would significantly influence possible application of the oils, which could be used as an antioxidant agent for extension of the food shelf life, or antimicrobial agent for protection against different microbial strains

Application of Landsat-derived NDVI in monitoring and assessment of vegetation cover changes in Central Serbia

This paper evaluates the application of the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in the monitoring and assessment of temporal vegetation cover changes (from 2006 to 2014) in three municipalities of Central Serbia: Topola, Jagodina and Kuršumlija. Additionally, special focus is placed on the analysis of the forest areas and the possible use of NDVI in the forest management sector. Results of the NDVI applied through Idrisi software identify all vegetation cover types and their typical values for presented case studies and observed periods. Obtained results for Serbian case studies indicate two major observations outlined for the investigated period. It was noticed that vegetation cover is experiencing a certain decrease, and that certain discrepancies exists between the NDVI and official forest area statistics for certain municipalities. The study outlines the positive outcomes of the applied remote sensing techniques, especially for southern Serbian municipalities where illegal logging activities are pronounced. Hence, this method proved very promising for countries performing national forest inventories, such as Serbia, providing local forest managers with several essential up-to-date information about vegetation cover changes on an annual basis. © 2019 Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Direct spectrophotometric determination of quercetin in the presence of ascorbic acid

The current research provides a simplified sample preparation procedure for the accurate estimation of quercetin in pure and in the pharmaceutical dosage form. Direct spectrophotometric method for the determination of quercetin in the presence of ascorbic acid was established. The influences of medium, wavelength, pH, temperature and the ionic strengths on quercetin determination were investigated. The best conditions for calibration curve are: 50% ethanol, λ = 370 nm, pH = 4.2, T = 34°C and I = 7.5 × 10-5 M. Beer's law is obeyed in the concentration range 1.0-12.0 μg ml-1 for quercetin. The corresponding detection limit is 0.76 μg ml-1. The proposed method was verified by analyzing Quercetin + C capsules, Twinlab®

Non-surgical complications following bariatric surgery

Bariatric surgery is the most efficient treatment for obesity and comorbidities. This treatment modality is the most potent for weight reduction with long-term weight maintenance and positive metabolic effects. The effect on weight loss and possible side effect depends of type of surgery. Micro and macronutrient deficiencies can occur after malapsorptive procedures. Iron deficiency occurs in almost half of patients following RYGB (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass). The main causes of iron deficiency are insufficient meat ingestion and lack of hydrochloric acid after removal of pylorus. B12 deficiency occured 6 months after RYGB in patients with oral supplementation of B12. Bone turnover increased three months after RYGB, and the levels of bone turnover markers increased 200% in next 12-18 months. Impaired vitamin D absorption leads to decreased calcium absorption and secondary hyperparathyroidism with lower bone mineral density. After the bariatric surgery, testosterone level becomes higher and all sexual quality indicators improving. Malapsorptive procedures with nutritive deficiency can cause oligo-astenozooteratospermia and male infertility. Due to the same reason pregnancy is not recommended in the first year bariatric surgery. Possible side effect of pregnancy within 12 months after surgery is fetal growth retardation. There is twice higher incidence for developing alcohol or other addition after bariatric surgery then in non-operated obese patients. The frequency of depressive episodes and suicide attempt is higher after bariatric surgery

Assessing temporal changes in genetic diversity of maize hybrids using RAPD markers

Information on genetic diversity of maize hybrids is very important for germplasm enhancement, hybrid breeding and in preventing environmental damage which may occur due to genetic uniformity of hybrids grown on large areas. The main goal of our study was to assess temporal changes in genetic diversity over the past four decades among ZP maize hybrids within the largest planting area in Serbia. The objectives were to: (i) characterize maize hybrids from different periods by RAPD markers; (ii) analyze temporal changes in genetic diversity among maize hybrids. Twenty-four maize hybrids were chosen from breeding programs in Maize Research Institute “Zemun Polje” on the basis of their superior yield and predominant seed production throughout four Periods. Patterns of RAPD markers were unique for each studied genotype. The average GD between hybrids continuously increased from Period B to Period E. Changes in genetic background during the last 40 years have a major impact on genetic diversity among ZP maize hybrids. There was no significant change in genetic variability of hybrids through the Periods