Trifolium pratense L. as a Potential Natural Antioxidant

The essential oils of three different growth stages of Trifolium pratense L. (TP1, TP2 and TP3) were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and tested for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The highest content of volatile compounds was found in the essential oil sample TP1, where terpenes such as beta-myrcene (4.55%), p-cymene (3.59%), limonene (0.86%), tetrahydroionone (1.56%) were highlighted due to their biological activity. The antioxidant activity was determined by following the scavenging capacity of the essential oils for the free radicals DPPH center dot, NO center dot and O-2(center dot-), as well as effects of the investigated oils on lipid peroxidation (LP). In all three cases, the sample TP1 showed the best radical-capturing capacity for DPPH center dot (27.61 +/- 0.12 mu g/mL), NO center dot (16.03 +/- 0.11 mu g/mL), O-2(center dot-) (16.62 +/- 0.29 mu g/mL) and also had the best lipid peroxidation effects in the Fe2+/ascorbate induction system (9.35 +/- 0.11 mu g/mL). Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against the following bacteria cultures: Escherichia coli (ATCC10526), Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC 14028), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 11632) and Bacillus cereus (ATCC 10876). None of the examined essential oil samples showed inhibitory effects on the tested bacterial strains

Removing Products of Thermal Degradation from Edible Oils by Zeolite and by Clinoptilolite - Comparison of Results

When edible oils are heated above 150°C, they undergo thermo-oxidative changes depending on a variety of factors, such as temperature, heating time, type of oil, etc. These changes cause a series of chemical reactions (hydrolysis, oxidation, polymerization, etc.) resulting in the formation of free fatty acids, an increase in the peroxide number and the acid number, a change of color and a decrease in the iodine number. This study investigates changes of the content of free fatty acids, the acid number, and the peroxide number in edible sunflower oil when heating at the temperature range from 110°C to 190°C for 30 minutes, as well as after the adsorption by a natural and a synthetic adsorbent (clinoptilolite and zeolite 4A). The results of the research show that these adsorbents are effective in removing the products of chemical reactions occurring in thermal degradation, which is particularly evident after the adsorption of oil heated at 190°C. Somewhat better results were achieved after the adsorption using clinoptilolite, with a 72 % reduction in the content of free fatty acids, 83 % reduction in the acid number, and 43 % reduction in the peroxide number. After the adsorption by zeolite 4A, the content of free fatty acids was reduced by 65%, the acid number by 76 %, and the peroxide number by 39 %. The results obtained open the possibilities of further research aiming at discovering the adsorbents which would be most suitable for the regeneration of used edible oils, after which they could be applied safely for different purposes. Keywords: edible oil, free fatty acids, acid number, peroxide number, adsorben

PREVENTION OF ADENOVIRAL EYE INFECTION - REVIEW

Epidemic viral conjunctivitis caused by adenovirus is the most common infectious conjunctivitis. The exact incidence of adenoviral conjunctivitis is still poorly known, but there are two well-defined adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis clinical syndromes: epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) and pharyngoconjunctival fever (PCF). Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis is also the most severe form and presents with watery discharge, hyperemia, chemosis and ipsilateral lymphadenopathy. Diagnosis is mainly clinical, but its etiology can be confirmed using cell cultures, antigen detection, polymerase chain reaction or immune-chromatography. Multiple treatments have been tried for this disease, but none of them seem to be completely effective. Viruses are resistant to desiccation and certain common surface disinfectants. Prevention is the most reliable and recommended strategy to control this epidemic infection. Global epidemic surveillance system definitely needs to be established to monitor and analyze the epidemic conjunctivitis in the future. There is clearly a need for the national and the military public health institutions to work together on guidelines to handle future challenges

6. Effect of Cu dopping on microstructural, thermoelectric and mechanical properties of NaCoCuO4 ceramics

Ceramic samples of NaCo2-xCuxO4 (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05) were obtained after calcination of powder precursors synthesized by a mechanochemically assisted solid-state reaction method (MASSR) and a citric acid complex method (CAC). Effects of small concentrations of Cu doping and the above-mentioned syntheses procedures on the microstructural, thermoelectric and mechanical properties were observed. The electrical resistivity (ρ), the thermal conductivity (κ) and the Seebeck coefficient (S) were measured simultaneously in the temperature gradient (ΔT) between hot and cold side of the sample, and the figure of merit (ZT) was subsequently calculated. ZT of the CAC samples was higher compared with the MASSR samples. The highest ZT value of 0.061 at ΔT = 473 K was obtained for the sample with 5 mol% of Cu prepared by the CAC method, and it was 1.7 times higher than the highest value obtained for the MASSR sample with 3 mol% of Cu (ZT = 0.036 at ΔT = 473 K). The CAC samples showed better mechanical properties compared to the MASSR samples due to the higher hardness of the CAC samples which is a consequence of homogeneous microstructure and higher density obtained after sintering of these samples. The results confirmed that, besides the concentration of Cu, the synthesis procedure considerably affected the microstructural, thermoelectric and mechanical properties of NaCo2O4 ceramics

Nanoindentation of nickel manganite ceramics obtained by complex polimerization method

Nickel manganite is very interesting NTC material due to its outstanding properties and wide field of applications mainly in microelectronics and optoelectronics and lately in the mobile phone industry. In this work, chemical synthesis of this material was performed by complex polymerization method (CPM). The presence of pure nickel manganite phase was confirmed by X-ray analysis. The obtained fine nanoscaled powders were uniaxially pressed and sintered at different temperatures: 1000 C -1200C for 2h. Microstructure development during sintering was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Indentation experiments were carried out using a three sided pyramidal (Berkovich) diamond tip. Young’s modulus of elasticity at various indentation depths and hardness of NTC ceramics were calculated. It was found that the highest hardness and elastic modulus exhibit the ceramics sintered at highest temperature

Endometrial polyps in infertility patients: The first study of their clinical characteristics

n/

Analiza odnosa visine biljke i dužine metlice u NS-kolekciji linija oprašivača sirka za zrno

Development of experimental hybrids of grain sorghum requires the selection of „per se“ superior parental components of certain agronomic traits. The aim of the research was to determine whether the ratio between plant height (M1) and panicle length (M2) is stable in different R lines of grain sorghum within the collection of NS cultivars, and if the highest values are typical for shorter or taller genotypes. Lower M2/M1 ratio was confirmed in taller genotypes, while plant height and panicle length variation was 14.9%. The tested population established a solid foundation for obtaining new, interesting genetic recombinations for plant architecture change.Pri stvaranju eksperimentalnih hibrida sirka za zrno odgovarajućih performansi bitan je izbor roditeljskih komponenti koje su za odabrane agronomske osobine superiorne „per se“. Cilj rada je da se odredi da li je odnos visine biljke (M1) i dužine metlice (M2) stabilan kod različitih R linija sirka za zrno u NS-kolekciji i da li su najviše vrednosti ovog odnosa karakteristične za niže ili za više genotipove. Utvrđeno je da viši genotipovi imaju manje vrednosti odnosa M2/M1, kao i da odnos vrednosti visine biljke i dužine metlice varira 14,9%. Ispitivana populacija predstavlja dobar osnov za dobijanje novih interesantnih genskih rekombinacija za promene arhitekture biljke

Značaj leguminoza za organsku poljoprivredu

Legume crops are primarily grown for their quality and value-added traits. Apart from their role in human and animal nutrition, they are being increasingly used as medicinal plants in pharmaceutical production. Legumes are of great interest in cultural practices under all farming systems, particularly organic agriculture. They are essential in crop rotations, and are among the most desirable preceding crops that create favourable biophysical conditions within the soil, with high levels of nitrogen naturally accumulating. There are many legumes suitable for companion and cover crops, and in the absence of quality farmyard manure they are sown for green manuring. In organic farming, legumes are environmental corridor components involved in biodiversity protection and restoration, as evidenced through increasing numbers of beneficial species in these isolation belts.Leguminoze su grupa biljaka koje se prvenstveno gaje zbog njihovog kvaliteta i velike upotrebne vrednosti. Osim za ishranu ljudi i domaćih životinja, sve više se koriste i kao lekovite biljke za proizvodnju različitih farmaceutskih preparata. Leguminoze imaju izuzetan agrotehnički značaj u svim sistemima poljoprivredne proizvodnje, a posebno u organskoj poljoprivredi. U plodoredu su nezamenjive kao jedan od najpoželjnijih preduseva, koji zemljište ostavlja u povoljnom biofizičkom stanju, sa visokim sadržajem na prirodan način akumuliranog azota. Veliki broj leguminoza je dobar za gajenje u združenim i pokrovnim usevima, a u nedostatku kvalitetnog stajskog đubriva, seju se kao siderati. U organskoj poljoprivredi mahunarke su sastavni deo eko-koridora koji imaju ulogu da zaštite i obnavljaju biodiverzitet, što se manifestije povećanjem broja korisnih vrsta u ovim izolacionim pojasevima

Response Factors to Pegylated Interferon-Alfa/Ribavirin Treatment in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Genotype 1b

Hepatitis C virus infection is the most common chronic blood-borne infection and one of the most important causes of chronic liver disease. Knowing the predictors associated with pegylated interferon/ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV) combination therapy response is important for evidence-based treatment recommendations. The goal of this study was to identify host and viral factors of response to PEG-IFN/RBV treatment in chronic hepatitis C genotype 1b patients. We have examined the relationship between gender, age, level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), viral load and liver fibrosis progression on therapy response. ALT level and viral load were evaluated before starting treatment with combination therapy. The elevated levels of ALT and route of HCV transmission were found to be significantly associated with the response to therapy in HCV-infected patients. Our findings may be useful for estimating a patients likelihood Of achieving sustained viral response

Geometry of Negative Heat Capacity Designed by Nature

editorial reviewe