Batch fermentation of black tea by kombucha: A contribution to scale-up

Local domestic Kombucha was used in fermentation of 1.5 g L-1 of black tea (Indian tea, " Vitamin ", Horgoš, Serbia and Montenegro), sweetened with approximately 70 g L'1 of sucrose. Inoculation was performed either with 10% or 15% (v/v) of fermentation broth from previous process. The fermentation was conducted in geometrically similar vessels with 0.4 L, 0.8 L, 4 L and 8 L of substrate, at 22±1 °C for 28 days. The samples were analyzed after 3, 4 5, 6, 7, 10, 14 and 28 days, so that their pH values, content of total acids sucrose, glucose and fructose contents, as well as contents of ethanol and vitamin C were determined. Based on the experiment design, the response surface for the product pH, as a function of time, beverage volume and inoculum concentration, was defined in the form of a second-order polynomial. From the obtained response surface, a formula for scaling-up of the process was derived

Epidemiology of hip fractures in Bulgaria : development of a country-specific FRAX model

Summary A retrospective population-based survey was undertaken in a region of Bulgaria to determine the incidence of hip fracture. The estimated number of hip fractures nationwide for 2015 was 9322 and is predicted to increase to 11,398 in 2050. The hip fracture rates were used to create a FRAX model. Objective To describe the epidemiology of hip fractures in Bulgaria, which was then used to develop the country-specific fracture prediction FRAX® tool. Methods We carried out a retrospective population-based survey in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, representing approximately 4.6% of the country’s population. We identified hip fractures occurring in 2015, 2016 and 2017 from hospital registers and primary care sources held by the regional health insurance agency. Age- and sex-specific incidence of hip fracture and national mortality rates were incorporated into a FRAX model for Bulgaria. Fracture probabilities were compared with those from neighbouring countries having FRAX models. Results The incidence of hip fracture applied nationally suggested that the estimated number of hip fractures nationwide in persons over the age of 50 years for 2015 was 9322 and is predicted to increase to 11,398 in 2050. FRAX-based probabilities were higher in Bulgaria than those in Serbia or Romania, lower than those in Turkey and similar to those in Greece. Conclusion The FRAX model should enhance accuracy of determining fracture probability among the Bulgarian population and help guide decisions about treatment

Long Range Hydration Effects in Electrolytic Free Suspended Black Films

The force law within free suspended black films made of negatively charged Aerosol-OT (AOT) with added LiCl or CsCl is studied accurately using X-ray reflectivity (ca. 1{\AA}). We find an electrolyte concentration threshold above which a substantial additional repulsion is detected in the LiCl films, up to distances of 100 {\AA}. We interpret this phenomenon as an augmentation of the Debye screening length, due to the local screening of the condensed hydrophilic counterions by the primary hydration shell.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published Phys. Rev. Let

Cardiovascular Risk in Type 2 Diabetic Patients With Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia and Gout

Aim: To study the differences in cardiovascular risk between type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia and gout using the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and complex multimodal ultrasonography

Morphological Integration and Ontogenetic Niche Shift: A Study of Crested Newt Limbs

This study deals with the ontogenetic and evolutionary aspects of integration patterns in the limbs of crested newt species, which, like most amphibians, have a biphasic life history with two morphologically distinct stages (larval vs. juvenile and adult) that occupy different environments (aquatic vs. terrestrial). We analyzed the structure and pattern of correlation between limb skeletal elements at three ontogenetic stages (larval, juvenile, and adult) of four closely related species that differ in their preferences of aquatic habitats (more terrestrial and more aquatic). We found dynamic changes in the pattern of morphological integration between successive ontogenetic stages, as well as changes over the course of crested newt phylogeny. Generally, equivalent ontogenetic stages of different species of crested newts show higher concordance in the correlation pattern than successive ontogenetic stages within species. Among species, two opposing correlation patterns were observed: in more terrestrial species, homologous limb elements are less correlated and within-limb elements are more correlated; in aquatic species, the reverse pattern occurs. These results indicate that the function seems to be the covariance-generating factor, which has shaped the patterns of morphological integration of crested newt limbs. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 316:296-305, 2011. (C) 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Serbian Ministry of Science and Technological Development [173043

Morphological Integration and Ontogenetic Niche Shift: A Study of Crested Newt Limbs

This study deals with the ontogenetic and evolutionary aspects of integration patterns in the limbs of crested newt species, which, like most amphibians, have a biphasic life history with two morphologically distinct stages (larval vs. juvenile and adult) that occupy different environments (aquatic vs. terrestrial). We analyzed the structure and pattern of correlation between limb skeletal elements at three ontogenetic stages (larval, juvenile, and adult) of four closely related species that differ in their preferences of aquatic habitats (more terrestrial and more aquatic). We found dynamic changes in the pattern of morphological integration between successive ontogenetic stages, as well as changes over the course of crested newt phylogeny. Generally, equivalent ontogenetic stages of different species of crested newts show higher concordance in the correlation pattern than successive ontogenetic stages within species. Among species, two opposing correlation patterns were observed: in more terrestrial species, homologous limb elements are less correlated and within-limb elements are more correlated; in aquatic species, the reverse pattern occurs. These results indicate that the function seems to be the covariance-generating factor, which has shaped the patterns of morphological integration of crested newt limbs. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 316:296-305, 2011. (C) 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Serbian Ministry of Science and Technological Development [173043

Serum Oxidative Stress Markers are not Associated with Renal and Common Carotid Arteries Arteriosclerotic Vascular Changes in Patients with Gout

Objective: To establish the association between serum levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) products, nitric oxide (NO) radicals and ascorbate radicals with renal resistive index (RRI), common carotid artery resistive index (CCARI) and intima-media thickness (IMT) in gout patients, and to find out whether the connection is more pronounced when tophi are present