Long-term Follow-up of Blood Pressure in Family Members of Soldiers Killed During the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Aim: To asses prevalence of essential arterial hypertension in family members of soldiers killed in 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods: The study enrolled 1144 subjects who lost a family member in the war and 582 of their close neighbors who experienced no such loss. Data on their medical history and habits were collected, and their blood pressure was recorded in 1996 and 2003. Arterial hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg (≥130 mm Hg in patients with diabetes mellitus), or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg (≥80 mm Hg in patients with diabetes mellitus), or taking antihypertensive therapy. Additional laboratory and clinical tests were performed in subjects with hypertension. Results: The prevalence of hypertension at both time points was higher in the group with a killed family member than in the group without the loss (55.1% vs 42.1%, P<0.001 in 1996, and 50.7% vs 39.0%, P<0.001 in 2003, respectively). However, there was also a significant decrease in the prevalence of hypertension in the group with the loss in 2003 (P<0.001), but not in group without the loss. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), smoking, and alcohol consumption were more prevalent in the group with a killed family member, but not cholesterol and triglyceride blood concentrations. In both groups, hypertension was more prevalent in subjects with PTSD and smoking or drinking habit. Proportion of subjects with hypertension who smoked and used alcohol was similar in both groups. Proportion of subjects with hypertension who did not smoke or drink was higher in the group with the loss (51.1% vs 36.7%, P<0.001; 46.2% vs 35.0%, P=0.006, respectively). Conclusion: This study showed higher prevalence of hypertension in family members of killed soldiers, regardless of the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors. Only the stress of mourning was associated with higher prevalence of hypertension. Over time, proportion of hypertensive subjects with the loss decreased in the group with killed family member, further suggesting that at least a part of their hypertension might have been of psychological origin

Spojevi sekundarne arome u svježim rakijama komovicama uzrokovane sortom i odgovarajućom tehnologijom proizvodnje

In order to investigate the composition of secondary aroma compounds of fresh grape marc distillates as a result of variety and production technology, 30 samples (6 varieties×5 samples) were analysed. White grape marc samples from Malvazija istarska, Chardonnay and Muscat Blanc were obtained as by-products in standard white wine production, while red grape marc samples from Teran and Cabernet Sauvignon were obtained after standard red wine production procedures. Marc from red grape variety Muškat ruža porečki was obtained during the production of rosé wines. All fermented marc samples were distilled using a traditional copper alembic. The obtained distillates were subjected to GC/MS and GC/FID analyses. Malvazija istarska distillates exhibited exceptionally high methanol content. Distillates from white grape varieties were found to be characterized by higher C6 alcohol and 1-propanol concentrations, while red grape distillates contained higher amounts of the majority of alcohols, acids, and esters. In Muškat ruža distillates intermediate concentrations of many important aroma compounds were found. It was concluded that differences in the production technology parameters, depending on the variety, resulted in differences in secondary aroma profiles, most evident between distillates from white and red varieties. These findings were confirmed applying stepwise linear discriminant analysis (SLDA), which resulted in 100 % correct classification of distillates according to the variety and corresponding production technology.Da bi se ispitao sastav spojeva sekundarne arome u svježim rakijama komovicama uzrokovane sortom i odgovarajućom tehnologijom proizvodnje, analizirano je 30 uzoraka (6 sorti×5 uzoraka). Uzorci komine bijelih sorata grožđa Malvazija istarska, Chardonnay i Muscat Blanc dobiveni su kao nusproizvod u standardnoj proizvodnji bijeloga vina, dok su uzorci komine sorata crnoga grožđa Teran i Cabernet Sauvignon dobiveni standardnim postupkom proizvodnje crnoga vina. Uzorci komine sorte crnoga grožđa Muškat ruža porečki dobiveni su pri proizvodnji rosé vina. Svi uzorci prevrele komine destilirani su u tradicionalnom bakrenom kotlu za destilaciju. Dobivene rakije komovice podvrgnute su GC/MS i GC/FID analizi. Komovice od sorte Malvazija istarska imale su iznimno veliki udjel metanola, a od sorata bijeloga grožđa veće koncentracije C6 alkohola i 1-propanola, dok su komovice od crnih sorata sadržavale veću količinu većine alkohola, kiselina i estera. U komovicama od Muškat ruže porečke pronađene su srednje koncentracije mnogih važnih spojeva arome. Zaključeno je da su različiti uvjeti proizvodnje, koji ovise o sorti, uzrokovali različitu sekundarnu aromu, najizraženiju u komovicama od sorata bijeloga i crnoga grožđa. Te su spoznaje provjerene primjenom postupne linearne diskriminantne analize koja je omogućila 100 % točnu klasifikaciju rakija komovica na osnovi sorte i odgovarajuće tehnologije proizvodnje

Increased expression and colocalization of GAP43 and CASP3 after brain ischemic lesion in mouse

GAP43 is a protein involved in neurite outgrowth during development and axon regeneration reflecting its presynaptic localization in developing neurons. Recently, it has been demonstrated that GAP43 is a ligand of CASP3 involved in receptor endocytosis and is also localized post-synaptically. In this study, by using a transgenic mouse strain carrying a bioluminescent reporter for GAP43 combined with an in vivo bioluminescence assay for CASP3, we demonstrated that one day after brain ischemic lesion and, even more pronounced, four days after stroke, expression of both CASP3 and Gap43 in neurons increased more than 40 times. The in vivo approach of CASP3 and GAP43 colocalization imaging was further validated and quantified by immunofluorescence. Importantly, in 82% of GAP43 positive cells, colocalization with CASP3 was present. These findings suggested that one and four days after stroke CASP3 expression, not necessarily associated with neuronal death, increased and suggested that CASP3 and GAP43 might be part of a common molecular pathway involved in early response to ischemic events occurring after onset of stroke

Long-term Follow-up of Blood Pressure in Family Members of Soldiers Killed During the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Aim: To asses prevalence of essential arterial hypertension in family members of soldiers killed in 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods: The study enrolled 1144 subjects who lost a family member in the war and 582 of their close neighbors who experienced no such loss. Data on their medical history and habits were collected, and their blood pressure was recorded in 1996 and 2003. Arterial hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg (≥130 mm Hg in patients with diabetes mellitus), or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg (≥80 mm Hg in patients with diabetes mellitus), or taking antihypertensive therapy. Additional laboratory and clinical tests were performed in subjects with hypertension. Results: The prevalence of hypertension at both time points was higher in the group with a killed family member than in the group without the loss (55.1% vs 42.1%, P<0.001 in 1996, and 50.7% vs 39.0%, P<0.001 in 2003, respectively). However, there was also a significant decrease in the prevalence of hypertension in the group with the loss in 2003 (P<0.001), but not in group without the loss. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), smoking, and alcohol consumption were more prevalent in the group with a killed family member, but not cholesterol and triglyceride blood concentrations. In both groups, hypertension was more prevalent in subjects with PTSD and smoking or drinking habit. Proportion of subjects with hypertension who smoked and used alcohol was similar in both groups. Proportion of subjects with hypertension who did not smoke or drink was higher in the group with the loss (51.1% vs 36.7%, P<0.001; 46.2% vs 35.0%, P=0.006, respectively). Conclusion: This study showed higher prevalence of hypertension in family members of killed soldiers, regardless of the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors. Only the stress of mourning was associated with higher prevalence of hypertension. Over time, proportion of hypertensive subjects with the loss decreased in the group with killed family member, further suggesting that at least a part of their hypertension might have been of psychological origin

Secondary Aroma Compounds in Fresh Grape Marc Distillates as a Result of Variety and Corresponding Production Technology

In order to investigate the composition of secondary aroma compounds of fresh grape marc distillates as a result of variety and production technology, 30 samples (6 varieties×5 samples) were analysed. White grape marc samples from Malvazija istarska, Chardonnay and Muscat Blanc were obtained as by-products in standard white wine production, while red grape marc samples from Teran and Cabernet Sauvignon were obtained after standard red wine production procedures. Marc from red grape variety Muškat ruža porečki was obtained during the production of rosé wines. All fermented marc samples were distilled using a traditional copper alembic. The obtained distillates were subjected to GC/MS and GC/FID analyses. Malvazija istarska distillates exhibited exceptionally high methanol content. Distillates from white grape varieties were found to be characterized by higher C6 alcohol and 1-propanol concentrations, while red grape distillates contained higher amounts of the majority of alcohols, acids, and esters. In Muškat ruža distillates intermediate concentrations of many important aroma compounds were found. It was concluded that differences in the production technology parameters, depending on the variety, resulted in differences in secondary aroma profiles, most evident between distillates from white and red varieties. These findings were confirmed applying stepwise linear discriminant analysis (SLDA), which resulted in 100 % correct classification of distillates according to the variety and corresponding production technology