The application of benthic diatoms in water quality assessment (Mlava River, Serbia)

The main objective of this study was to assess the ecological status of the Mlava River based on epilithic diatoms and to test the use of diatom indices as a tool for estimating the quality of flowing waters in Serbia. Quantitative analysis showed that in April Achnanthidium minutissimum was dominant at each site, except at the fi fth site, where Amphora pediculus was dominant. In July and September, Achnanthidium minutissimum, Achnanthidium pyrenaicum, Amphora pediculus, Denticula tenuis, Diatoma vulgaris, Gomphonema elegantissimum, Cocconeis pseudolineata and Cocconeis placentula var. lineata dominated. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was used to detect the major patterns of variation in species composition. The first DCA axis summarizes the distribution of the diatom community, mainly through temperature, conductivity, oxygen and water hardness gradient. The second DCA axis was weakly correlated with few variables. Based on the average values of the pollution sensitivity index (IPS), commission for economical community metric (CEE) and biological diatom index (IBD), the water of the Mlava River belonged to water class I during all three seasons. Values of the diatom-based eutrophication/pollution index (EPI-D) indicated class II water quality. According to calculated trophic diatom index (TDI) values, water of the Mlava River was characterized by intermediate nutrient concentrations during three seasons. Principal components analysis was used to represent the correlation between diatom indices, and the highest correlation among the selected diatom indices is seen between EPI-D, IPS and IBD

Risk Factors for Intraoperative Hypertension during Surgery for Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Objective: To investigate the incidence and identify risk factors for the occurrence of intraoperative hypertension (IOH) during surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). Subjects and Methods: The study included 269 patients surgically treated between January 2008 and January 2012 for pHPT. IOH was defined as an increase in systolic blood pressure >= 20% compared to baseline values which lasted for 15min. The investigated influence were demographic characteristics, surgical risk score related to physical status (based on the American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] classification), comorbidities, type and duration of surgery, and duration of anesthesia on IOH occurrence. The investigated factors were obtained from the patients' medical history, anesthesia charts, and the daily practice database. Logistic regression analysis was done to determine the predictors of IOH. Results: Of the 269 patients, 153 (56.9%) had IOH. Based on the univariate analysis, age, body mass index, ASA status, duration of anesthesia, and preoperative hypertension were risk factors for the occurrence of IOH. Multivariate analysis showed that independent predictors of IOH were a history of hypertension (OR = 2.080, 95% CI: 1.102-3.925, p = 0.024) and age (OR = 0.569, 95% CI: 0.360-0.901, p = 0.016). Conclusion: In this study, a high percentage (56%) of the patients developed IOH during surgery for pHPT, which indicates that special attention should be paid to these patients, especially to the high-risk groups: older patients and those with a history of hypertension. Further, this study showed that advanced age and hypertension as a coexisting disease prior to parathyroid surgery were independent risk factors for the occurrence of IOH

Influence of trout farms on macrozoobenthos communities with special emphasis on larvae of the genus Baetis (Ephemeroptera, Insecta)

Planinske tekućice čine bitnu komponentu rečne mreže i prilično specifične delove toka, koje zbog svoje teške pristupačnosti uglavnom predstavljaju najmanje remećene delove vodotoka. Međutim, različite ljudske aktivnosti, kao što su: vodosnabdevanje, izgradnja kanala, poljoprivreda, itd., remete njihovu homeostazu. Jedan od takvih oblika uticaja na ove osetljive akvatične ekosisteme može se prepisati i pastrmskoj akvakulturi. Uzimajući u obzir da pastrmski ribnjaci vrše direktan uticaj na brdsko-planinske tekućice, njihovi efekti mogu biti slični mnogim drugim zagađivačima koji organske materije i različite tipove polutanata direktno oslobađaju u recipijente. Pored hemijskog monitoringa koji može ukazati na nastale promene u koncentracijama abiotičkih parametara u vodi i supstratu, korišćenjem organizama sa indikatorskim svojstvima dobija se kompletnija slika o promenama nastalim u vodenom ekosistemu. Od svih grupa vodenih organizma, u biomonitoringu tekućih vodenih ekosistema, najčešće se koriste organizmi makrozoobentosa, jer se njihovom primenom mogu pratiti promene na svim nivoima biološke organizacije, od molekularnog do ekosistemskog. Za ispitivanje uticaja pastrmskih ribnjaka na zajednice makrozoobentosa, u ovoj disertaciji uključeno je devet tekućica lociranih u brdsko-planinskim područjima Srbije, u okviru pete i sedme limnofaunističke zone slatkovodne faune Evrope. Uzorkovanje je vršeno na ukupno 50 lokaliteta, sedam puta u toku jednogodišnjeg istraživanja. Izbor pastrmskih ribnjaka izvršen je na osnovu njihove produkcije i u odnosu na veličinu recipijenta. Intenzitet uticaja pastrmskih ribnjaka ispitan je preko abiotičke i biotičke komponente vodenog ekosistema. Kvalitativnom analizom i analizom glavnih komponenti između kontrolnog lokaliteta i lokaliteta neposredno ispod ribnjaka ustanovljene su promena sledećih abiotičkih parametara: nagomilavanje mulja u podlozi, porast koncentracije jonizovanog amonijaka i njegove nejonizovane frakcije, pad koncentracije rastvorenog kiseonika, porast vrednosti pH, kao i blagi porast koncentracije ortofofata i ukupnog fosfora...Mountain streams are an important component of the river network that due to their heavy accessibility are generally the least disturbed parts of a watercourse. However, their homeostasis is upset by various human activities such as diversion for water supply purposes, canal building, irrigation, etc. Trout aquaculture can be cited as one form of such influence on these sensitive aquatic ecosystems. Trout farms exert direct influence on highland streams and their effects resemble those of many other polluters that release organic substances and various types of pollutants directly into the recipient waters. A more complete picture of changes arising in an aquatic ecosystem can be obtained by using organisms with indicatory properties in conjunction with chemical monitoring, which clearly indicates changes in the values of abiotic parameters. Of all groups of aquatic organisms, macrozoobenthic organisms are most often used in biomonitoring of the ecosystems of streams because it is possible with them to follow changes on all levels of biological organization, from the molecular level to that of the ecosystem as a whole. In order to investigate the influence of trout farms on macrozoobenthos communities, in this dissertation nine streams were monitored in highland regions of Serbia within the fifth and seventh limnofaunistic zones of the freshwater fauna of Europe. Sampling was conducted at a total of 50 localities over the course of a one-year period. The choice of trout farms was based on the volume of their production and size of the recipient stream. The intensity of influence of trout farms was investigated by monitoring abiotic and biotic components of the aquatic ecosystem. Qualitative analysis and principal component analysis of the difference between the control locality and localities directly below the trout farm revealed the following changes of several abiotic parameters, viz., accumulation of sludge in the substrate, increase in the concentration of ionized ammonia and its nonionized fraction, decrease in the concentration of dissolved oxygen, increase of pH, and slight increase in the concentration of orthophosphate and total phosphorus..

Thermal stability of starch benzoate

Starch esterification with benzoyl chloride was performed in two steps, the first being the alkali treatment of the starch and the second, esterification. Samples of hydrophobic starch benzoate were synthesized with degrees of substitution: 0.73.1.18 and 1.16 and their thermal stability was investigated by non-oxidative, non-isothermal thermogravimetry. It was shown that starch benzoate was thermally less stable than native starch, the thermal stability decreasing with increasing degree of substitution. The results indicated that the scission of CO2 and/or benzoyl groups probably occurred in the temperature region 100-260 degreesC, depending on the dear of substitution. The overall activation energies of thermal degradation were calculated by the Flynn-Wall method

Lithium – pharmacological and toxicological aspects: the current state of the art

Abstract: Lithium is the smallest monovalent cation with many different biological effects. Although lithium is present in the pharmacotherapy of psychiatric illnesses for decades, its precise mechanism of action is still not clarified. Today lithium represents first-line therapy for bipolar disorders (because it possesses both antimanic and antidepressant properties) and the adjunctive treatment for major depression (due to its antisuicidal effects). Beside, lithium showed some protective effects in neurological diseases including acute neural injury, chronic degenerative conditions, Alzheimer's disease as well as in treating leucopenia, hepatitis and some renal diseases. Recent evidence suggested that lithium also possesses some anticancer properties due to its inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β) which is included in the regulation of a lot of important cellular processes such as: glycogen metabolism, inflammation, immunomodulation, apoptosis, tissue injury, regeneration etc. Although recent evidence suggested a potential utility of lithium in different conditions, its broader use in clinical practice still trails. The reason for this is a narrow therapeutic index of lithium, numerous toxic effects in various organ systems and some clinically relevant interactions with other drugs. Additionally, it is necessary to perform more preclinical as well as clinical studies in order to a precise therapeutic range of lithium, as well as its detailed mechanism of action. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge concerning the pharmacological and toxicological effects of lithium

Diatom species composition in the Raška river (Southwestern Serbia)

The paper presents data on the composition of epilithic diatoms in the Raška River. Samples were collected by scraping stone surfaces with a brush from 5 localities along the Raška River in April, June, August and November 2011 and March and May 2012. Diatom frustules were cleaned using cold acid method, and mounted on permanent slides. An investigation of the Raška River resulted in description of 106 diatom taxa. The most species rich genera are Navicula (10), Gomphonema (10) and Nitzschia (9), while other genera are presented with one or more species. Detailed floristic analysis of the benthic diatom flora in this river has not been conducted before. Therefore, this paper provides a groundwork for future researches. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 037009

Lithium - Pharmacological and Toxicological Aspects: The Current State of the Art

Lithium is the smallest monovalent cation with many different biological effects. Although lithium is present in the pharmacotherapy of psychiatric illnesses for decades, its precise mechanism of action is still not clarified. Today lithium represents first-line therapy for bipolar disorders (because it possesses both antimanic and antidepressant properties) and the adjunctive treatment for major depression (due to its antisuicidal effects). Beside, lithium showed some protective effects in neurological diseases including acute neural injury, chronic degenerative conditions, Alzheimer's disease as well as in treating leucopenia, hepatitis and some renal diseases. Recent evidence suggested that lithium also possesses some anticancer properties due to its inhibition of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta (GSK3β) which is included in the regulation of a lot of important cellular processes such as: glycogen metabolism, inflammation, immunomodulation, apoptosis, tissue injury, regeneration etc. Although recent evidence suggested a potential utility of lithium in different conditions, its broader use in clinical practice still trails. The reason for this is a narrow therapeutic index of lithium, numerous toxic effects in various organ systems and some clinically relevant interactions with other drugs. Additionally, it is necessary to perform more preclinical as well as clinical studies in order to a precise therapeutic range of lithium, as well as its detailed mechanism of action. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge concerning the pharmacological and toxicological effects of lithium. © 2020 Bentham Science Publishers