Desorption of metals from Cetraria islandica (L.) Ach. Lichen using solutions simulating acid rain

Desorption of metals K, Al, Ca, Mg, Fe, Ba, Zn, Mn, Cu and Sr from Cetraria islandica (L.) with solutions whose composition was similar to that of acid rain, was investigated. Desorption of metals from the lichen was performed by five successive desorption processes. Solution mixtures containing H2SO4, HNO3 and H2SO4-HNO3 were used for desorption. Each solution had three different pH values: 4.61, 5.15 and 5.75, so that the desorptions were performed with nine different solutions successively five times, always using the same solution volume. The investigated metals can be divided into two groups. One group was comprised of K, Ca and Mg, which were desorbed in each of the five desorption processes at all pH values used. The second group included Al, Fe, Zn, Ba, Mn and Sr; these were not desorbed in each individual desorption and not at all pH values, whereas Cu was not desorbed at all under any circumstances. Using the logarithmic dependence of the metal content as a function of the desorption number, it was found that potassium builds two types of links and is connected with weaker links in lichen. Potassium is completely desorbed, 80% in the first desorption, and then gradually in the following desorptions. Other metals are linked with one weaker link (desorption 1-38%) and with one very strong link (desorption below the metal detection limit). [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III43009 i br. ON 172019

Effects of three types of physical activity on reduction of metabolic parameters involved in cardiovascular risk

The aim of present study was to investigate the effects of three different types of physical activity on reduction of the metabolic parameters mainly responsible for cardiovascular diseases. This prospective-intervention study was performed at the 'ČIGOTA' Thyroid Institute on Mt. Zlatibor (Serbia) between August 2004 and June 2006. Sixty-eight overweight/obese patients aged 40-70 years with hyperlipidemia were divided into three groups according to their weight and overall health. The program of physical workout included: group I - fast walking; group II - gymnastic exercises and specially chosen exercises in the swimming pool; and group III - combined physical training of higher intensity and greater length. All patients were also on a special reduced diet of 1000 kcal per day, the AHA step-2 diet. We monitored the body mass index, body composition, glucose, cholesterol (total, LDL-, and HDL-), and triglycerides before, during, and after the intervention. After 2 and particularly 12 weeks of intervention, a significant improvement of all metabolic parameters was achieved in all three groups of patients. Although most patients completed the study with normal values of all parameters, the most desirable results were achieved in group III (combined exercises with an average energy expenditure of 900 kcal per day). Our research indicates that a specially conceived program of physical activity and diet intervention resulted in significant reduction of cardiovascular risk factors

Uticaj masti u obroku na masne kiseline u serumskim fosfolipidima i gojaznost životinja

Dietary fat and its relation to obesity has been a controversial issue for many years. Experimental data shows that most, though not all animals, which consume a high fat diet, will become obese. However, the effect of fatty acids on animal obesity has not been studied in detail. In order to evaluate the effects of low versus high fat diet on serum phospholipids fatty acids composition a 4-wk study was conducted on male Wister rats. The rats were fed low-fat (10% energy) and high-fat (46% energy) foods containing constant proportions of fatty acids. Control group C was fed a standard laboratory diet (polyunsaturated/ saturated (P/S) fatty ratio 1.3), group M was fed a standard laboratory diet supplemented with margarine (P/S ratio 0.95), and the diet of the SL group was additionally supplemented with a sunflower oil-lard (1:1) mixture (P/S ratio 1.3). All lipid supplemented hyperenergetic diets caused an increase in the average daily energy intake. Both the final and the daily body weight gain were significantly higher in M and SL groups than in group C. Additionally, serum triglyceride levels, LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol were also significantly higher in M and SL groups when compared to the control group. Serum phospholipids fatty acids varied in response to total dietary fat. A significant decrease in saturated fatty acids (SFA) content (16:0 and 18:0) and an increase in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content (18:1, n-9) was found in the M group when compared to both C and SL groups. In the SL group, SFA content (18:0) was higher and MUFA content (18:1, n-9) was lower than in group C. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content showed an increase in both experimental groups. The PUFA/SFA ratio was higher in the M group than in the C and SL groups. Our study suggests that the amount of dietary fat has a greater influence on obesity than the effects of the type of fat consumed. However, depending on the type of fat present in the diet the differences were observed in the composition of serum PL fatty acid suggesting that both total fat and individual fatty acids have to be considered when reaching conclusions about the effect of dietary fat and obesity in animals.Uticaj masnih kiselina u ishrani i njihov efekat na pojavu gojaznosti kod životinja je kontraverzno pitanje već dugi niz godina. Uticaj pojedinačnih masnih kiselina na pojavu gojaznosti kod životinja nije do sada detaljnije proučavan. Sa ciljem da se ispita efekat dijeta sa niskim ili visokim sadržajem masti na pojavu gojaznosti, izvršena su istraživanja na Wister pacovima u trajanju od 4 nedelje. Pacovi su hranjeni eksperimentalnim dijetama koje su sadržale standardan, nizak (10%) ili visok (46%) energetski unos poreklom od masti. Grupa kontrolnih životinja (C) je hranjena standardnom laboratorijskom dijetom (odnos polizasićenih/ zasićenih masnih kiselina/PUFA, P/S 1.3), grupa M sa standardnom dijetom sa dodatkom margarina (P/S 0.95) i grupa SL sa dijetom kojoj je dodata mešavina 1:1 suncokretovog ulja i masti (odnos P/S 1.3). Obe dijete (M i SL) su uzrokovale povećanje u prosečnom dnevnom energetskom unosu. U grupi M i SL, registrovano je značajno povećanje u telesnoj težini kontinuirano tokom eksperimenta. Nivo serumskih triglicerida, LDL kao i ukupnog holesterola su bili značajnije povećani u M i SL grupi u poređenju sa kontrolom. Promene u profilu serumskih masnih kiselina fosfolipida su zavisile od sastava masti u eksperimentalnoj dijeti. Kod eksperimentalnih životinja grupe M primećeno je značajno smanjene serumskih zasićenih masnih kiselina (SFA, 16:0 i 18:0) kao i porast monozasićenih masnih kiselina (MUFA, 18:1, n-9) u poređenju sa SL i C grupom. Odnos PUFA/ SFA je bio veći u M u odnosu na SL i C grupu. Rezultati naših istraživanja ukazuju da količina masti u ishrani životinja ima veći uticaj na porast telesne mase nego vrsta prisutne masnoće. Promene u sastavu serumskih masnih kiselina fosfolipida u odnosu na tip masti u eksperimentalnim dijetama ukazuju na ulogu pojedinačnih masnih kiselina u procesu nastajanja gojaznosti kod životinja i te mehanizme treba dalje istraživati

Vitamin D Status and Its Correlation With Anthropometric and Biochemical Indicators of Cardiometabolic Risk in Serbian Underground Coal Miners in 2016

The status of vitamin D in underground working coal miners and its association with their cardiometabolic health is rarely studied. This study aimed to examine vitamin D (VitD) status in Serbian underground coal miners and to correlate it with anthropometric and laboratory indicators of cardiometabolic risk. Nutritional data (food frequency questionnaire, FFQ, and two times repeated 24 h recall), anthropometric data (including segmental analysis by bio-impedance analyzer TANITA BC-545N), arterial tension, and biochemical and hematological data of 103 coal miners (aged 22–63 years) were correlated with their late summer (early September) serum 25 (OH)D levels (measured by HPLC). 68.9% of the studied coal miners were overweight/obese, and 48.5% had metabolic syndrome. Their mean VitD nutritional intakes were low: 5.3 ± 3.8 μg/day (FFQ) and 4.9 ± 8 μg/day (24 h recalls), but their mean serum 25 (OH)D levels were surprisingly high (143.7 ± 41.4 nmol/L). Only 2.9% of the coal miners had 25(OH)D levels lower than 75 nmol/L (indicating an insufficient/deficient status), while 63.2% had values above 125 nmol/L (upper optimal limit), and even 10.7% had values above 200 nmol/L. There were no statistical differences in 25 (OH)D levels in the coal miners with or without metabolic syndrome (or overweight/obesity). Interestingly, 25(OH)D levels had significant positive correlations with body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM), fat mass percentage (FM%), limbs FM%, serum triglycerides, GGT, AST, ALT, and ALT/AST ratio, and had significant negative correlations with serum HDL-cholesterol and age. All these correlations were lost after corrections for age, FM, FM%, and legs FM%. In Serbian coal miners, high levels of early September VitD levels were observed, indicating sufficient non-working-hour sun exposure during the summer period. Furthermore, the unexpected positive correlations of VitD levels with anthropometric and biochemical parameters indicative of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and fatty liver disease were found. More research is needed on the VitD status of coal miners (particularly in the winter period) and its relationship with their cardiometabolic status

How does the quality of surveys for nutrient intake adequacy assessment compare across Europe? A scoring system to rate the quality of data in such surveys

Research was conducted within the EURopean micronutrient RECommendations Aligned (EURRECA) Network of Excellence, to find the best practice in assessing nutrient intakes. Objectives include: to search for and use data on individual nutrient intake adequacy (NIA) assessment collected in twenty-eight European countries and the four European Free Trade Association countries: to design and test innovative tools for data quality analysis. The information was obtained using the method described by Blanquer et al. in the present issue. The best-practice criteria were devised to select the most appropriate survey in each country. Then a survey quality scoring system was developed in consultation with experts and tested on these surveys. Weights were allocated according to a variable priority order agreed by consultation. The thirty-two Countries yielded twenty-four national surveys (eight countries excluded). Data collection techniques: eleven countries/surveys used personal interviews only; six used combinations of techniques. Dietary assessment methods: two used repeated 24h recalls only: eleven used combinations. NIA assessment methods: two used probabilistic approach and SD/Z-scores only; eleven used comparison with estimated average requirements/RDA only. Countries were ranked according to the survey quality scoring, but careful interpretation is needed because of incomplete data from some surveys bearing this in mind, the information quality is high in 37.5% countries, medium in 50.0% and low in 12.5%. Although there is room for improvement and caution should be taken when drawing conclusions and recommendations from these results, the lessons learned and tools developed at this first attempt form the basis for future work within the EURRECA framework for aligning European micronutrient recommendations

Contamination, risk, and source apportionment of potentially toxic microelements in river sediments and soil after extreme flooding in the Kolubara River catchment in Western Serbia

Climate change is contributing to an increase in extreme weather events. This results in a higher river flooding risk, causing a series of environmental disturbances, including potential contamination of agricultural soil. In Serbia, the catastrophic floods of 2014 affected six river basins, including the Kolubara River Basin, as one of the larger sub-catchments of the large regional Sava River Basin, which is characterized by large areas under agricultural cultures, various geological substrates, and different types of industrial pollution. The main aim of this study was to establish the sources of potentially toxic elements in soil and flood sediments and the effect of the flood on their concentrations. Field sampling was performed immediately after water had receded from the flooded area in May 2014. In total, 36 soil samples and 28 flood sediment samples were collected. After acid digestion (HNO3), concentrations of the most frequent potentially toxic elements (PTE) in agricultural production (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) and Co which are closely related to the geological characteristics of river catchments, were analyzed. The origin, source, and interrelations of microelements, as well as BACKGROUND: values of the PTE of the river catchment, the pollution index (Pi), enrichment factor (Ef), and geological index (Igeo), were determined, using statistical methods such as Pearson correlations, principal component analysis (PCA), and multiple linear regression (MLRA). The content of the hot acid-extractable forms of the elements, PCA, and MLRA revealed a heavy geological influence on microelement content, especially on Ni, Cr, and Co, while an anthropogenic influence was observed for Cu, Zn, and Cd content. This mixed impact was primarily related to mines and their impact on As and Pb content. The pseudo-total concentrations of all the analyzed elements did not prove to be a danger in the catchment area, except for Cu in some samples, indicating point-source pollution, and Ni, whose pseudo-total content could be a limiting factor in agricultural production. For the Ef, the Ni content in 59% soil and 68% flood sediment samples is classified into influence classes. The similar pseudo-total contents of the elements studied in soil samples and flood sediment and their origin indicate that the long-term soil formation process is subject to periodic flooding in the Kolubara River Basin without any significant changes taking place. This implies that floods are not an endangering factor in terms of the contamination of soil by potentially toxic elements in the explored area

PARP-1 and YY1 Are Important Novel Regulators of CXCL12 Gene Transcription in Rat Pancreatic Beta Cells

Despite significant progress, the molecular mechanisms responsible for pancreatic beta cell depletion and development of diabetes remain poorly defined. At present, there is no preventive measure against diabetes. The positive impact of CXCL12 expression on the pancreatic beta cell prosurvival phenotype initiated this study. Our aim was to provide novel insight into the regulation of rat CXCL12 gene (Cxcl12) transcription. The roles of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) and transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) in Cxcl12 transcription were studied by examining their in vitro and in vivo binding affinities for the Cxcl12 promoter in a pancreatic beta cell line by the electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation. The regulatory activities of PARP-1 and YY1 were assessed in transfection experiments using a reporter vector with a Cxcl12 promoter sequence driving luciferase gene expression. Experimental evidence for PARP-1 and YY1 revealed their trans-acting potential, wherein PARP-1 displayed an inhibitory, and YY1 a strong activating effect on Cxcl12 transcription. Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced general toxicity in pancreatic beta cells was followed by changes in Cxcl12 promoter regulation. PARP-1 binding to the Cxcl12 promoter during basal and in STZ-compromised conditions led us to conclude that PARP-1 regulates constitutive Cxcl12 expression. During the early stage of oxidative stress, YY1 exhibited less affinity toward the Cxcl12 promoter while PARP-1 displayed strong binding. These interactions were accompanied by Cxcl12 downregulation. In the later stages of oxidative stress and intensive pancreatic beta cell injury, YY1 was highly expressed and firmly bound to Cxcl12 promoter in contrast to PARP-1. These interactions resulted in higher Cxcl12 expression. The observed ability of PARP-1 to downregulate, and of YY1 to upregulate Cxcl12 promoter activity anticipates corresponding effects in the natural context where the functional interplay of these proteins could finely balance Cxcl12 transcription

Principal component analysis of the main factors of line intensity enhancements observed in oscillating direct current plasma

Enhancement of emission line intensities by induced oscillations of direct current (DC) arc plasma with continuous aerosol sample supply was investigated using multivariate statistics. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to evaluate enhancements of 34 atomic spectral lines belonging to 33 elements and 35 ionic spectral lines belonging to 23 elements. Correlation and classification of the elements were done not only by a single property such as the first ionization energy, but also by considering other relevant parameters. Special attention was paid to the influence of the oxide bond strength in an attempt to clarify/predict the enhancement effect. Energies of vaporization, atomization, and excitation were also considered in the analysis. In the case of atomic lines, the best correlation between the enhancements and first ionization energies was obtained as a negative correlation, with weak consistency in grouping of elements in score plots. Conversely, in the case of ionic lines, the best correlation of the enhancements with the sum of the first ionization energies and oxide bond energies was obtained as a positive correlation, with four distinctive groups of elements. The role of the gas-phase atom-oxide bond energy in the entire enhancement effect is underlined. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Metal extraction from Cetraria islandica (L.) Ach. lichen using low pH solutions

Extraction of metals (K, Al, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Ba, Zn, Mn and Sr) from dry Cetraria islandica (L.) Ach. lichen was performed using solutions similar to acid rain (solution A - H2SO4-HNO3-(NH4)(2)SO4 and solution B - H2SO4-HNO3-(NH4)(2)SO4-NH4NO3). The pH values of these solutions were 2.00, 2.58, 2.87, 3.28, and 3.75. Five consecutive extractions were performed with each solution. In all solutions, the extracted metal content, except Cu and Ca, was the highest in the first extract. The highest percentage of the metals desorbed in the first extraction was obtained using solutions with low pH values, 2.00, 2.58, and 2.87. The iowest percentage in the first extraction was obtained using solutions with pH 3.28 and pH 3.75, indicating influence of the H+ ion on the extraction. According to the results obtained, the investigated metals form two groups. The first group includes K, Al, Ca, Mg, and Fe. They were extracted in each of the five extractions at each of the pH values. The second group includes Ba, Zn, Mn, Cu, and Sr, which were not all extracted at each pH value. The first group yielded three types of extraction curves when the logarithms of extracted metal amounts were plotted as a function of the number of successive extractions. These effects indicate that three different positions (centres) of metal ion accumulation exist in the lichen (due to sorption, complex formation, or other processes present in the tissues)

Masti različitog porekla u ishrani kao faktor rizika u pojavi cerebro-vaskularnog insulta

The aim of the paper was to investigate whether nutrition based on animal fats in the group of patients who used them as dominant-group S ( the patients of Greek Orthodox creed), is a more significant risk factor in the development of stroke than nutrition based on vegetable fats-group A ( the patients of Muslim creed). At the same time, the aim of the article was to find the parameters of lipid status which would define in a better way the connection between hypercholesterolemia and apoplexy. The research was done on 230 patients with ischemic CVI who underwent hospital treatment at the Neurological Clinic of the Clinical-Hospital Centre in Pristine. The patients at the Neurological Clinic of the Clinical-Hospital Centre in Pristine were divided into two groups: Group A (n=130)- the patients who based their nutrition mainly on vegetable fats (the patients of Muslim creed) and Group S (n=100)- the patients who based their nutrition mainly on saturated fats ( the patients of Geek Orthodoc creed). It was stated that the intake of both vegetable and animal fats in larger quantities bears a risk of the development of the cerebra-vascular insult. The intake of saturated fats is a higher risk factor leading to the increased values of cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol in the group of patients of Greek Orthodox creed (group S) in comparison to the group of patients of Muslim creed (groupA). .Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je da se ispita da li ishrana bazirana na mastima životinjskog porekla u grupi pacijenata u kojoj je ona dominantna - grupa S (pacijenti pravoslavne veroispovesti), predstavlja značajniji faktor u pojavi cerebro vaskularnog insulta u odnosu na grupu u čijoj ishrani su dominirale masnoće biljnog porekla, grupa A (pacijenti muslimanske veroispovesti). U isto vreme, cilj je bio da se ispita i bolje definiše veza između hiperholesterolemije i apopleksije. U našem radu ispitano je 230 bolesnika sa ishemičnim CVI, koji su hospitalno lečeni u KBC-u Priština u periodu od 01.01.-01.08.1998. g. Pacijenti su selektovani u dve grupe: Grupa A (n=130) - pacijenti čija je ishrana bila bazirana na mastima biljnog porekla (pacijenti muslimanske veroispovesti) i Grupa S (n=100) - pacijenti čija je ishrana bila pretežno bazirana na mastima životinjskog porekla (pacijenti pravoslavne veroispovesti). Ustanovljeno je da i ishrana biljnim i animalnim mastima u većoj količini može doprineti razvoju cerebrovaskularnog insulta. S tim što unos zasićenih masti nosi znatno veći rizik u povećanju vrednosti lipidnih parametara u grupi pacijenta pravoslavne veroispovesti (Grupa S) u poređenju sa grupom pacijenata muslimanske veroispovesti (Grupa A).