Bone turnover markers in medicamentous and physiological hyperprolactinemia in female rats

Background/Aim. There is a lack of data on the effects of prolactin on calcium metabolism and bone turnover in hyperprolactinemia of various origins. The aim of this study was to compare the influence of medicamentous and physiological hyperprolactinemia on bone turnover in female rats. Methods. Experimental animals (18 weeks old, Wistar female rats) were divided as follows: the group P - 9 rats, 3 weeks pregnant; the group M3-10 rats that were intramuscularly administrated sulpirid (10 mg/kg) twice daily for 3 weeks, the group M6 - 10 rats that were intramuscularly administrated with sulpirid (10 mg/kg) twice daily for 6 weeks, and age matched nulliparous rats as the control group: 10 rats, 18-week-old (C1) and 7 rats, 24 weeks old (C2). Laboratory investigations included serum ionized calcium and phosphorus, urinary calcium and phosphorous excretion, osteocalcin and serum procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP). Results. Experimental animals in the group P compared to the control group, displayed lower mean serum ionized calcium (0.5 ± 0.2 vs 1.12 ± 0.04 mmol/L; p < 0.001); higher mean serum phosphorus (2.42 ± 0.46 vs 2.05 ± 0.2 mmol/L; p < 0.05); increased urinary calcium (3.90 ± 0.46 vs 3.05 ± 0.58; p < 0.01) and significantly increased P1NP (489,22 ± 46,77 vs 361.9 ± 53,01 pg/mL; p < 0.001). Experimental animals in the group M3 had significantly decreased P1NP, compared to the control group. Prolongated medicamentous hyperprolactinemia (the group M6) induced increased serum ionized calcium (1.21 ± 0.03 vs 1.15 ± 0.02 mmol/L; p < 0.001); decreased serum phosphorus (1.70 ± 0.13 vs 1.89 ± 0.32 mmol/L; p < 0.001); decreased osteocalcin and P1NP. Conclusions. Physiological hyperprolactinemia does not have such harmful effect on bone metabolism as medicamentous hyperprolactinemia. Chronic medicamentous hyperprolactinemia produces lower serum levels of bone formation markers. Assessment of bone turnover markers in prolongated medicamentous hyperprolactinemia provides an opportunity for earlier diagnosis of bone metabolism disturbances and should be considered as mandatory

Information-theoretic measures as a generic approach to human-robot interaction : Application in CORBYS project

Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/AuthorThe objective of the CORBYS project is to design and implement a robot control architecture that allows the integration of high-level cognitive control modules, such as a semantically-driven self-awareness module and a cognitive framework for anticipation of, and synergy with, human behaviour based on biologically-inspired information-theoretic principles. CORBYS aims to provide a generic control architecture to benefit a wide range of applications where robots work in synergy with humans, ranging from mobile robots such as robotic followers to gait rehabilitation robots. The behaviour of the two demonstrators, used for validating this architecture, will each be driven by a combination of task specific algorithms and generic cognitive algorithms. In this paper we focus on the generic algorithms based on information theoryFinal Accepted Versio

Air quality assessment during COVID-19: A case study of Serbia

The discovery of a new virus has forced many countries to introduce drastic measures at the beginning of the pandemic to protect human health. These measures include the reduced mobility of people and the reduction of certain economic activities. As a consequence, studies conducted in different countries have reported significant improvement in air quality. This paper aims to assess the impact of quarantine and lockdown measures on air quality in the city of Bor. Data regarding concentrations of PM10 and SO2 were collected using three monitoring stations located in the urban part of the city and compared with corresponding periods in 2019 and 2021. The results have shown that concentrations of these pollutants were even higher during the lockdown period. Concentrations of SO2 were 58 % higher compared to those in the corresponding period in 2019 and 56 % higher compared to those in 2021. The mean daily values of PM10 were 47 % higher compared to those in 2019 and 29 % higher compared to those in 2021

Genetic variability of maize landraces (zea mays l.) assessed by molecular markers

Agronomski biodiverzitet je širok pojam koji uključuje sve komponente biološkog diverziteta od značaja za hranu i poljoprivredu. On predstavlja rezultat interakcije između genetičkih resursa, životne sredine i upravljanja sistemima i prakse koji čine poljoprivrednu proizvodnju. Biljni genetički resursi, smatraju se izuzetno značajnim u obezbeđivanju dovoljne količine hrane neophodne za ljudsku ishranu. Procenjuje se da danas ukupno 30 useva obezbeđuju 95% čovekovih potreba za hranom. Kukuruz je jedna od najznačajnijih useva koja se gaji širom sveta. Iako poseduje izuzetno veliku genetičku varijabilnost, u komercijalnoj upotrebi se nalazi svega oko 5% ukupne germplazme kukuruza, koja obezbeđuje visoke prinose. Banka gena Instituta za kukruz „Zemun Polje“ održava kolekciju od 2217 lokalnih populacija kukuruza klasifikovanih u 18 agroekoloških grupa, sakupljenih na prostoru bivše Jugoslavije. Ispitivanje diverziteta lokalnih populacija predstavlja osnovni preduslov za njihovu efikasnu klasifikaciju, čuvanje i korišćenje, i ima za cilj procenu genetičke raznovrsnosti i strukture populacija Ispitana je genetička varijabilnost 54 lokalne (po tri populacije svake agroekološke grupe) i 6 introdukovanih populacija kukuruza (po dve iz Francuske, Gruzije i Kine). Za ispitivanje genetičke varijabilnosti populacija korišćeno je 18 morfoloških osobina i 10 RAPD (Random Amlified Polymorphic DNA) i 10 SSR (Simple Sequence Repeat) markera. Na osnovu morfoloških osobina urađena je analiza varijanse i uočene su značajne razlike kod svih osobina za različite izvore variranja što govori o visokom stepenu fenotipskog diverziteta između populacija. Takođe, dobijene su visoke vredosti heritabilnosti u širem smislu (preko 0,6) za skoro sve osobine, osim dužine granatog dela metlice. Rezultati PCA analize su ukazali da lokalne populacije kukuruza mogu biti okarakterisane pomoću osobina kao što su rast biljke, osobine metlice i karakteristike zrna, a zapaženo je i veće grupisanje tvrdunaca/polutvrdunaca, odnosno poluzubana/zubana. Na osnovu morfoloških osobina i molekularnih markera, pomoću UPMGA metode dobijeni su klasteri, koristeći NTSYSpc statistički program. Morfološka, SSR i RAPD analiza nisu dovele do jasnog grupisanja lokalnih populacija prema poreklu, ali je uočeno delimično poklapanje između grupa populacija povezanih u kastere/subklaste i putevima introdukcije, odnosno njihovog nastanka od originalnih populacija...Agricultural biodiversity is a broad term which includes all components of biological diversity of relevance to food and agriculture. It represents the result of interaction between genetic resources, environmental protection and both management systems and practices that make agricultural production. Plant genetic resources are considered to be very important in providing sufficient amounts of food for human consumption. It is estimated that today a total of 30 crops provide 95% of human needs for food. Corn is one of the most important crops that are grown around the world. Although it has a very high genetic variability, only about 5% of the germplasm is in the commercial use, which provides high yields. Maize Research Institute „Zemun Polje“ genebank maintains a collection of 2217 maize landraces classified into 18 agro-ecological groups, collected in the former Yugoslavia. Evaluation of genetic diversity of the local population represents basic precondition for their effective classification, storage and use. It aims to assess the genetic diversity and population structure. Assessment of genetic variability was done on 54 maize landraces (three landraces from each agro-ecological group) and six introduced maize landraces (two of each from France, Georgia and China). In order to analyze genetic variability of maize landraces, 18 morphological traits, 10 RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) and 10 SSR (Simple Sequence Repeat) markers were used. Analysis of variance was performed for evaluate morphological traits. Significant differences were observed for all traits for different sources of variation which indicates a high degree of phenotypic diversity between populations. Also, high broad-sense heritability (over 0.6) were obtained for almost all the traits except branched tassel length. The results of PCA analysis indicated that local maize populations can be characterized by traits such as plant growth, tassel traits and kernel characteristics. It was also observed the larger grouping of flint/semi-flint respectively to semident/dent. Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) method was applied for cluster analysis. All marker data analyses were performed using NTSYSpc statistical program..

Characterization of Fusarium species pathogen for sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] in Serbia and genotype susceptibility

Tokom trogodińnjeg perioda od 2009. do 2011. godine, pregledom četiri lokaliteta gajenja sirka u Vojvodini, zabeleņena je pojava intenzivnih simptoma truleņi korena i stabla. Intenzitet zaraze useva sirka, bio je veoma visok, a suńenje i brzo propadanje zaraņenih biljaka rezultiralo je procenjenim gubicima od preko 90%. Sa ciljem da se dobije uvid u prisustvo vrsta roda Fusarium i tako rasvetli etiologija oboljenja u Srbiji, obavljena je identifikacija na osnovu proučavanja morfolońkih svojstava i molekularne karakterizacije izolata dobijenih iz zaraņenih biljaka u polju i semena. Na osnovu obavljenih istraņivanja ustanovljeno je da odabrani izolati pripadaju vrstama roda Fusarium: F. equiseti, F. proliferatum, F. graminearum i F. thapsinum, kao i vrsti Epicoccum nigrum. Proučavana svojstva ispitivanih izolata analizirana su kao mogući taksonomski kriterijum za razlikovanje vrsta roda Fusarium i preporučuje se korińćenje najmanje dva taksonomska kriterijuma i to morfolońkih svojstava i molekularne karakterizacije. Analize nukleotidnih sekvenci pet genomnih regiona, DNK iz ITS regiona, gena koji kodiraju elongacioni faktor TEF−1α, β−tubulin i calmodulin, kao i mitohondrijalne male podjedinice ribozomske DNK, pokazale su različite potencijale za preciznije razdvajanje vrsta roda Fusarium. Rekonstrukcijom filogenetskih stabala dat je doprinos u rasvetljavanju evolutivne meĎupovezanosti različitih vrsta, kao i izolata u okviru jedne vrste i pruņilo je uvid u prisustvo i rasprostranjenost vrsta Fusarium u nańoj zemlji. Tokom trogodińnjeg perioda od 2009. do 2011. godine, pregledom četiri lokaliteta gajenja sirka u Vojvodini, zabeleņena je pojava intenzivnih simptoma truleņi korena i stabla. Intenzitet zaraze useva sirka, bio je veoma visok, a suńenje i brzo propadanje zaraņenih biljaka rezultiralo je procenjenim gubicima od preko 90%. Sa ciljem da se dobije uvid u prisustvo vrsta roda Fusarium i tako rasvetli etiologija oboljenja u Srbiji, obavljena je identifikacija na osnovu proučavanja morfolońkih svojstava i molekularne karakterizacije izolata dobijenih iz zaraņenih biljaka u polju i semena. Na osnovu obavljenih istraņivanja ustanovljeno je da odabrani izolati pripadaju vrstama roda Fusarium: F. equiseti, F. proliferatum, F. graminearum i F. thapsinum, kao i vrsti Epicoccum nigrum. Proučavana svojstva ispitivanih izolata analizirana su kao mogući taksonomski kriterijum za razlikovanje vrsta roda Fusarium i preporučuje se korińćenje najmanje dva taksonomska kriterijuma i to morfolońkih svojstava i molekularne karakterizacije. Analize nukleotidnih sekvenci pet genomnih regiona, DNK iz ITS regiona, gena koji kodiraju elongacioni faktor TEF−1α, β−tubulin i calmodulin, kao i mitohondrijalne male podjedinice ribozomske DNK, pokazale su različite potencijale za preciznije razdvajanje vrsta roda Fusarium. Rekonstrukcijom filogenetskih stabala dat je doprinos u rasvetljavanju evolutivne meĎupovezanosti različitih vrsta, kao i izolata u okviru jedne vrste i pruņilo je uvid u prisustvo i rasprostranjenost vrsta Fusarium u nańoj zemlji. Ispitivanja u okviru ove disertacije ukazala su na postojanje različitih vidova osetljivosti komercijalnih sorti i oplemenjivačkog materijala in vitro i u poljskim ogledima u uslovima prirodne zaraze i veńtačke inokulacije sa prevalentnim vrstama F. equiseti i F. proliferatum. Dobijeni rezultati dalje će se koristiti u programima oplemenjivanja gajenog sirka na otpornost.Intensive symptoms of root and stem rot of sorghum were recorded in four sorghum growing localities in the province of Vojvodina, during a three year investigation period from 2009 to 2011. Estimated loss of inspected crops was over 90%, because of drying and deterioration of infected sorghum plants in highly infected crops. In order to get better insight into the presence of Fusarium species and to clarify etiology of the disease in Serbia, the identification was carried out based on the study of morphological properties and molecular characterization of isolates originating from infected plants in the field and seeds. On the basis of the investigations it was found that the selected isolates belong to the species of the genus Fusarium: F. equiseti, F. proliferatum, F. graminearum and F. thapsinum, as well as, to the species Epicoccum nigrum. Studied properties of selected isolates were analyzed as a possible taxonomic criterion for distinguishing species of the genus Fusarium. Utilization of at least two taxonomic criteria in particular/as follows morphological properties and molecular characterization are recommended. Nucleotide sequences analysis of five genomic regions of DNA from the ITS region, genes encoding elongation factor TEF−1α, β−tubulin and calmodulin, as well as, the mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal DNA showed different potentials for delineation of Fusarium species. Contribution in clarifying evolutionary interlinkage/interconnections of different species, and strains within a species was given by reconstruction of phylogenetic trees which provided insight into the presence and distribution of Fusarium species in our country. The existence of various forms of susceptibility of commercial varieties and breeding materials were revealed, both in vitro and in field experiments, to natural infection and artificial inoculation with F. equiseti and F. proliferatum. Results obtained in this study will contribute in the deployment of sorghum breeding programs for resistance to these important pathogens

Crosstalk between dietary patterns, obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rising worldwide, paralleling the epidemic of obesity. The liver is a key organ for the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Various types of fats and carbohydrates in isocaloric diets differently influence fat accumulation in the liver parenchyma. Therefore, nutrition can manage hepatic and cardiometabolic complications of NAFLD. Even moderately reduced caloric intake, which leads to a weight loss of 5%-10% of initial body weight, is effective in improving liver steatosis and surrogate markers of liver disease status. Among dietary patterns, the Mediterranean diet mostly prevents the onset of NAFLD. Furthermore, this diet is also the most recommended for the treatment of NAFLD patients. However, clinical trials based on the dietary interventions in NAFLD patients are sparse. Since there are only a few studies examining dietary interventions in clinically advanced stages of NAFLD, such as active and fibrotic steatohepatitis, the optimal diet for patients in these stages of the disease must still be determined. In this narrative review, we aimed to critically summarize the associations between different dietary patterns, obesity and prevention/risk for NAFLD, to describe specific dietary interventions’ impacts on liver steatosis in adults with NAFLD and to provide an updated overview of dietary recommendations that clinicians potentially need to apply in their daily practice

Higher degree of dysfunctional attitudes and beliefs and higher scores of frustration intolerance in women with unsuccessful weight loss

Background/Aim. Obesity is a chronic and relapsing condition, and since recently, it has been considered a global epidemic. Current guidelines for tripartite treatment of obesity emphasize a program of lifestyle modifications such as medical nutrition therapy, aerobic exercise, and behavioral intervention. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether specific psychological factors (general attitudes and beliefs and frustration tolerance) could be predictors of successful weight loss, i.e., factors that can be further addressed as part of the integrated therapy approach. Methods. A total of 84 consecutive overweight and obese female participants who were apparently healthy and homogeneous in age, level of education, and marital or employment status were prescribed the same medical nutrition therapy protocol as a single six-month therapeutic intervention. Prior to starting the therapy, the General Attitude and Belief Scale (GABS) and the Frustration Discomfort Scale (FDS) were administered. The participants were divided into two groups: successful (group A) and unsuccessful (group B). Group A, or the successful group [with the mean body mass index (BMI) ± standard deviation (SD) of 24.1 ± 5.81 kg/m2], consisted of 40 participants who have reached the corresponding loss, i.e., they lost ≥ 10% of the starting body weight (BW). Group B, or the unsuccessful group (with the mean BMI ± SD of 28.51 ± 2.74 kg/m2), consisted of 44 participants who have not reached the corresponding loss, i.e., they lost < 10% of the starting BW. Results. Participants in group B had significantly higher scores (p < 0.05) on the GABS subscales for the Need for Approval, Need for Comfort, and Other Downing. A statistically significant difference between groups (p < 0.05) was shown for FDS subscales of Emotional Intolerance, Entitlement, and Achievement Frustration. Conclusion. Results of our study showed that participants who were unsuccessful in medical nutrition therapy had a higher degree of dysfunctional attitudes and beliefs and higher scores of frustration intolerance when compared to successful participants. The recommendation, based on our results, would be to include psychotherapeutic techniques in the integrative obesity treatment, aimed at cognitive changes and increasing frustration tolerance

Primena prakse zasnovane na dokazima u sprovođenju sankcija i mera prema prestupnicima u zajednici

Evidence-based practice is a current trend in almost all areas of humane services, a consequence of scientific and technological development during the second half of the 20th century with the need and possibilities of connecting and exploiting resources from various fields of social activity, with the aim of having a more humane and effective approach to solving human problems and needs. Evidence-based practice in dealing with offenders is a set of components and characteristics of a rehabilitation program that reduces the rate of recidivism when effectively incorporated into the field of change in criminal behaviour and attitudes. In dealing with offenders, evidence-based practice includes a validated risk and criminogenic needs assessment, motivational interviews and cognitive-behavioural programs. These elements are covered by the principles of the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model, which is a theoretical and empirical approach to work with juvenile and adult offenders, in particular on implementing community sanctions and measures. The model also includes the development of validated risk assessment tools and principles of evidence-based practice of rehabilitation treatment providers.Praksa zasnovana na dokazima je aktuelan trend u gotovo svim oblastima humanih usluga, posledica je naučnog i tehnološkog razvoja tokom druge polovine XX veka sa potrebom i mogućnostima povezivanja i iskorišćenja resursa iz različitih oblasti društvene delatnosti, u cilju humanijeg i efektiv-nijeg pristupa rešavanju ljudskih problema i potreba. Praksa zasnovana na dokazima u radu sa prestupnicima predstavlja skup komponenti i karakte-ristika programa rehabilitacije koji, kada se efikasno inkorporiraju u oblast promene kriminalnog ponašanja i stavova, smanjuje stopu recidiva. U radu sa prestupnicima praksa zasnovana na dokazima obuhvata validiranu pro-cenu rizika i kriminogenih potreba, motivacione intervjue i kognitivno-bi-hejvioralne programe. navedene elemente obuhvataju principi rizik-potre-ba-odgovor (RnR) modela, koji predstavlja teorijski i empirijski zasnovan pristup u radu sa maloletnim i odraslim prestupnicima, posebno na sprovo-đenju sankcija i mera u zajednici. Model obuhvata i razvoj validiranih instru-menata za procenu rizika i principe na dokazima zasnovane prakse isporuči-laca rehabilitacionog tretmana

Antifungalna aktivnost hitosana prema Alternaria alternata i Colletotrichum gloeosporoides

Chitosan and its derivatives have been reported as a promising alternative for control of postharvest fungal pathogens. The objective of this study was to evaluate in vitro and in situ antifungal activity of chitosan against Alternaria alternata and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides isolated from decayed apple fruits. The fungi were tested in vitro using PDA medium with three concentrations of chitosan (1, 2 and 3 mg/ml). Fungal growth of the test pathogens was significantly affected by all chitosan doses (P lt 0.05) after 7 days of incubation at 25°C. Water solution of 3 mg/ml of chitosan inhibited completely the conidial germination of A. alternata and C. gloeosporioides after 18 h incubation at 25°C. The results obtained from biocontrol assay indicate that the inhibition of postharvest decay of A. alternata and C. gloeosporioides was significantly influenced by chitosan concentrations. Disease incidence in chitosan-treated fruit after 7 days incubation at 25°C was significantly lower than in the positive control for both fungi tested (P lt 0.05). A. alternata and C. gloeosporioides used in this study were progressively inhibited in vitro and in situ with increasing concentrations of chitosan from 1 to 3 mg/ml.Istraživanja pokazuju da su hitosan i njegovi derivati dobra alternativa u kontroli skladišnih fitopatogenih gljiva. Cilj ovog rada bio je da ispita antifungalnu aktivnost hitosana prema Alternaria alternata i Colletotrichum gloeosporoides, izolovanih sa inficiranih plodova jabuke, u in vitro i in situ uslovima. Rast gljiva je testiran in vitro koristeći PDA podlogu sa različitim koncentracijama hitosana (1, 2 i 3 mg/ml). Porast oba patogena je bio značajno smanjen (P lt 0.05) u svim koncentracijama hitosana nakon 7 dana inkubacije na 25°C. Vodeni rastvor hitosana koncentracije 3 mg/ml je u potpunosti inhibirao klijanje konidija A. alternata i C. gloeosporoides nakon inkubacije od 18 sati na temperaturi od 25°C. Rezultati ogleda in situ ukazuju da inhibicija propadanja plodova inficiranih sa A. alternata i C. gloeosporoides zavisi od koncentracije rastvora hitosana. Pojava bolesti na plodovima jabuka tretiranih rastvorom hitosana nakon 7 dana inkubacije na 25°C bila je značajno smanjena za obe vrste gljiva (P lt 0.05) u odnosu na pozitivnu kontrolu. Rast A. alternata i C. gloeosporoides je bio progresivno inhibiran in vitro i in situ sa povećanjem koncentracije rastvora hitosana, od 1 do 3 mg/ml

Sustainable integral development of agriculture and tourism in the Republic of Serbia

Sustainable development is one of global imperatives and it involves the harmonization of economic, environmental, and social development goals, with an appropriate institutional support. There are plenty of resources pertaining to the sustainable development of agriculture and tourism, as numerous studies and practical examples worldwide confirm. The paper highlights the example of the Republic of Serbia and can be of use for other countries with similar resource potentials and developmental constraints. Namely, agriculture and tourism in the Republic of Serbia are distinguished by abundant natural and cultural-historical resources, but what mostly lacks are funds for serious investment, as well as a modern and holistic approach to development, so the available resources are insufficiently used. Accordingly, the research aims to point to the necessity of a more creative use of agro-tourism resources, i.e. to the more promising directions of the integral development of agriculture and tourism on sustainable grounds. The paper results highlight the extreme importance of institutional support to agriculture and tourism networking within the concept of sustainable development.Publishe