Increased il-33 and il-17 in colorectal carcinoma patients with severe disease

© 2020, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents one of the most common cancers. It is frequently diagnosed at advanced stages, indicating on need for new diagnostic markers. The aim of this study was to determine systemic and fecal values of IL-17 and IL-33 in patients with CRC and the relationship with clinicopathological aspects of disease. The blood samples and feces liquid fraction of 50 patients with CRC were analyzed. Serum and fecal levels of IL-33 and IL-17 were measured using sensitive enzyme-linked immu-nosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Fecal levels of Il-33 and IL-17 were increased in CRC patients with poor tumor tissue differentiation. Serum IL-33 and fecal IL-17 were increased in patients with presence of lung/liver metastasis or peritoneal carcinomatosis, respec-tively, while enhanced fecal IL-33 was detected only in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. Positive correlation between IL-33 and IL-17 values in sera and feces, respectively was also observed. We believe that increased local values of IL-33 and IL-17, reflected trough higher fecal concentration, in CRC patients with poor tumor tissue differentiation and with presence of lung/liver metastasis or peritoneal carcinomatosis may be considered as a sign of the tumor’s malignant progression and, consequently, of a poor prognosis for patients

Conformational Dependence of σ-Electron Delocalization in the Catenae Xnme2n+2, X = Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb

Bonds of &sigma; type are the most common chemical bonds, dominating bonding in all molecules and defining the framework of a molecule. It has been long known that electrons in &sigma; bonds can delocalize throughout a molecule. However, the nature of &sigma;-electron delocalization is not fully understood due to its complexity. One of the important aspects of &sigma;-electron delocalization is its conformational dependence, first noted in oligosilanes where properties of a molecule change drastically when it changes conformation. This dissertation describes efforts to understand the conformational dependence of &sigma; delocalization in oligosilanes and their heavier analogs using simple intuitive models and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The first part of the dissertation focuses on studying the conformational dependence of electron delocalization in oligosilanes. It is shown that oligosilanes can exist as two distinct chromophores, &sigma;-delocalized conformers with large dihedral angles and &sigma;-localized conformers with small dihedral angles. Properties of a conformer are dictated by the shape of frontier molecular orbitals, which is different for conformers with small and large dihedral angles. The origin of the conformational dependence is found in the interplay between two delocalization mechanisms, which can lead to enhancement of delocalization or to its complete annihilation. The second part of the dissertation describes characteristics of &sigma;-electron delocalization in linear infinite polysilane, polygermane, polystannane, and polyplumbane. The conformational dependence of electron delocalization is confirmed in all these molecules. Effective hole mass is used to indicate an extent of the delocalization, while a position of the Fermi level in reciprocal space is used to determine the dominant mechanism of delocalization. The simple model used to explain the origin of the conformational dependence of electron delocalization in saturated compounds is verified by comparison with density functional theory calculations. Relatively simple analysis presented here provides an important insight into properties of a complex ubiquitous phenomenon of delocalization of electrons through &sigma; bonds.</p

The impact of silicone hydrogel contact lenses on the measurement of intraocular pressure using non-contact tonometry

© 2017, Institut za Vojnomedicinske Naucne Informacije/Documentaciju. All rights reserved. Background/Aim. Measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) over therapeutic silicone hydrogel soft contact lenses by a non-contact method of tonometry could be applied in opthalmologic practice but the results obtained are still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of spherically designed silicone hydrogel soft contact lenses and their power on values of IOP measured by using a non-contact tonometry method. Methods. We measured IOP with and without spherical silicone hydrogel soft contact lenses on 143 eyes of 80 subjects who did not have any ocular or systemic diseases. Results. The Wilcoxon statistical analysis test for ranking average values of IOP measured on 143 eyes over a spherical silicone hydrogel soft contact lenses showed significantly higher values compared to those measured with no contact lenses (15.81 ± 3.46 mm Hg vs 14.54 ± 3.19 mm Hg; respectively; Z = -5.224, p = 0.001). Refractive power analysis of the contact lenses of -9.00D to +6.00 D showed a significant difference of IOP in the range from 0.00D to -6.00D. Conclusion. Non-contact tonometry is not an accurate method of IOP measuring over spherical silicone hydrogel soft contact lenses which belong to therapeutic contact lenses

Hepatitis C: Host and Viral Factors Associated with Response to Therapy and Progression of Liver Fibrosis

The goal of this study was to identify the baseline host and viral factors of response to antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Compared with interferon/ribavirin therapy, new current direct-acting antiviral (DAA) combination regimens significantly increased rate of sustained virologic response (SVR) and shorter treatment durations, but is still limited by viral resistance, adverse effects, and high cost especially in developing countries. Human genetic factors and heterogeneity within the HCV genome may be associated with virologic treatment failure before and after antiviral therapy. Further, HCV infection may contribute to the development of HCV-related liver disease and hepatocarcinogenesis, through modulating genetic and epigenetic state of certain genes implicated in control of critical cellular pathways. Previous results confirm the importance of host and viral factors and virus-induced genetic and epigenetic changes in predicting outcome and treatment response

Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica: A case report

© 2014, Institut za Vojnomedicinske Naucne Informacije/Documentaciju. All rights reserved. Introduction. Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica, also known as Trevor’s disease, is an extremely rare skeletal developmental disorder of unknown etiology, characterized by an osteocarti-laginous outgrowth of one or more epiphyses or of a tarsal bone during childhood. Case report. We presented a sporadic case of dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica developed in the talus. A 6-year-old boy complained of swelling of his right ankle joint, with painful and reduced movements. Radiographies suggested excessive overgrowth of the dorsomedial aspect of the talus. The tumor was surgically excised and the gross and histological findings were consistent with those of osteochondroma. Conclusion. Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica is diagnosed by clinical, radiographic and histopathological examination. Early diagnosis is important for the condition to be treated before the deformity becomes disabling

EMMISION OF POLLUTANTS ORIGINATING FROM MOBILE SOURCES ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE CITY OF KRAGUJEVAC

Traffic jam makes cities less pleasant for living and it also decreases traffic efficiency whereas travel time, fuel consumption and drivers’ stress are increased. A special problem is its influence on people’s health caused by emission of exhaust gases. Emission of pollutants originating from mobile sources is primarily conditioned by a level of technologies applied to the vehicle, vehicle’s technical state, traffic intensity, traffic density, local climate conditions, etc. Air pollution due to use of motor vehicles is becoming one of the major problems in urban areas across the world. With the increase of the number of motor vehicles and traffic intensification, the influence of exhaust gases on human environment also has increased. Considering the average age of the vehicles participating in traffic in the city of Kragujevac and the traffic capacity of traffic arteries, most frequently not designed for such a large number of vehicles concentrated at the core of the city, it is to be expected that the air pollution coming from mobile sources will become a problem that requires detailed analysis. For that purpose, a detailed statistical analysis of the vehicle fleet of the city of Kragujevac is conducted. An estimation of the influence of the vehicles on the air pollution in the city of Kragujevac, has been given in the paper

Hypercalcemic type of small cell carcinoma of the ovary

© 2015, Institut za Vojnomedicinske Naucne Informacije/Documentaciju. All rights reserved. Introduction. Extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma is a rare, prognostically bad tumor category. Primary, it can be localized in every organ, even in the ovary, where, due to its clinical specifici-ties, it represents a challenge in diagnosis, as well as in therapy. Small cell ovarian carcinoma (SCOC) is biologically very aggres-sive malignant tumor of unknown histogenesis. We presented a rare case of SCOC with hypercalcemia of aggressive course and fatal outcome in a postmenopausal woman at International Fed-eration of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Ia stage. Case re-port. A 60-year-old woman, Caucasian, came to the doctor be-cause of discomfort in the lower abdomen and pain of greater in-tensity in last few days. Ultrasound examination and CT scan of the abdomen confirmed the presence of large adnexal masses of cystic-solid appearance with the largest diameter of 13 cm, regu-lar structure of the other gynecological organs, without verifying the existence of metastatic deposits. All the results of laboratory analysis gave normal values, except for calcium, which was ele-vated. Explorative laparotomy with complete hysterectomy, bi-lateral salpingo-oophorectomy, dissection of lymph nodes and omentectomy were conducted. Based on pathohistological analy-sis of the operative material, SCOC at FIGO Ia stage was diag-nosed. No complications were observed in a postsurgery period and after 10 days the patient was discharged in a good condition and with normal calcemia. The treatment was continued with concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, in spite of overall treatment, the disease progressed, and the patient died of disseminated metastatic disease, 26 months after the diagnosis. Conclusion. Small cell carcinoma localized in the ovary is gener-ally a tumor category with bad prognosis depending on the stage of the disease

Drivers and epidemiological patterns of West Nile virus in Serbia

Background: West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging mosquito-borne pathogen in Serbia, where it has been detected as a cause of infection in humans since 2012. We analyzed and modelled WNV transmission patterns in the country between 2012 and 2023. Methods: We applied a previously developed modelling approach to quantify epidemiological parameters of interest and to identify the most important environmental drivers of the force of infection (FOI) by means of statistical analysis in the human population in the country. Results: During the study period, 1,387 human cases were recorded, with substantial heterogeneity across years. We found that spring temperature is of paramount importance for WNV transmission, as FOI magnitude and peak timing are positively associated with it. Furthermore, FOI is also estimated to be greater in regions with a larger fraction of older adult people, who are at higher risk to develop severe infections. Conclusion: Our results highlight that temperature plays a key role in shaping WNV outbreak magnitude in Serbia, confirming the association between spring climatic conditions and WNV human transmission risk and thus pointing out the importance of this factor as a potential early warning predictor for timely application of preventive and control measure

Materials Expert-Artificial Intelligence for Materials Discovery

The advent of material databases provides an unprecedented opportunity to uncover predictive descriptors for emergent material properties from vast data space. However, common reliance on high-throughput ab initio data necessarily inherits limitations of such data: mismatch with experiments. On the other hand, experimental decisions are often guided by an expert's intuition honed from experiences that are rarely articulated. We propose using machine learning to "bottle" such operational intuition into quantifiable descriptors using expertly curated measurement-based data. We introduce "Materials Expert-Artificial Intelligence" (ME-AI) to encapsulate and articulate this human intuition. As a first step towards such a program, we focus on the topological semimetal (TSM) among square-net materials as the property inspired by the expert-identified descriptor based on structural information: the tolerance factor. We start by curating a dataset encompassing 12 primary features of 879 square-net materials, using experimental data whenever possible. We then use Dirichlet-based Gaussian process regression using a specialized kernel to reveal composite descriptors for square-net topological semimetals. The ME-AI learned descriptors independently reproduce expert intuition and expand upon it. Specifically, new descriptors point to hypervalency as a critical chemical feature predicting TSM within square-net compounds. Our success with a carefully defined problem points to the "machine bottling human insight" approach as promising for machine learning-aided material discovery.Comment: 8 pages main text, 4 figs, 8 pages Supplementary materia

Reaction of susceptible maize inbred lines to herbicides

Maize production is inconceivable without herbicide application, and certainly depends on crop susceptibility. Some injuries could be induced by herbicides, what could result in yield losses. This is especially prominent in maize seed production, due to the lines susceptibility to various stressful conditions, including herbicides. Crop response to herbicide application could include whole range of different biochemical reactions such as alterations in content of various metabolites and antioxidants. The experiment was conducted to examine the response of three sensitive maize lines (sugary, popcorn and white kernel maize) to herbicides from sulfonylurea and triketone groups, during the period after herbicide application, when visual injuries are the most obvious and in correlation with grain yield. Variations in soluble proteins, phytic and inorganic phosphorus content, as important metabolites, were followed. The variations in soluble proteins and particularly phytic and inorganic phosphorus content are linked to the expression of susceptibility to herbicides in examined maize lines. Growing season had significant influence on susceptibility. In 2015, as unfavourable season, line ZPT165b expressed the highest susceptibility, having the highest values of examined metabolites at the beginning of experiment. All applied herbicides increased grain yield in 2014, but in 2015 nicosulfuron expressed the lowest selectivity, by decreasing grain yield and soluble proteins up to the 21th day after herbicide application, when compared to control