Copper and zinc concentrations in atherosclerotic plaque and serum in relation to lipid metabolism in patients with carotid atherosclerosis

© 2015, Institut za Vojnomedicinske Naucne Informacije/Documentaciju. All rights reserved. Background/Aim. Some oligoelements are now investigated as possibly having a role in atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to compare the concentrations of copper and zinc in the serum and carotid plaque and parameters of lipid metabolism in patients with different morphology of carotid atherosclerotic plaque. Methods. Carotid endarterectomy due to the significant atherosclerotic stenosis was performed in 91 patients (mean age 64 ± 7). The control group consisted of 27 patients (mean age 58 ± 9), without carotid atherosclerosis. Atheroscletoric plaques were divided into four morphological groups, according to ultrasonic and intraoperative characteristics. Copper and zinc concentrations in the plaque, carotid artery and serum were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results. Serum copper concentrations were statistically significantly higher in the patients with hemorrhagic in comparison to those with calcified plaque (1.2 ± 0.9 μmol/L vs 0.7 ± 0.2 μmol/L, respectively; p = 0.021). Zinc concentrations were statistically significantly lower in plaques of the patients with fibrolipid in comparison to those with calcified plaques (22.1 ± 16.3 μg/g vs 38.4 ± 25.8 μg/g, respectively; p = 0.024). A negative significant correlation was found for zinc and triglycerides in the serum in all the patients (r = -0.52, p = 0.025). In the control group we also demonstrated a positive significant correlation for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and copper in the serum (r = 0.54, p = 0.04). Conclusion. The data obtained in the current study are consistent with the hypothesis that high copper and lower zinc levels may contribute to atherosclerosis and its sequelae as factors in a multifactorial disease. Further studies are necessary in order to conclude whether high concentration of copper and zinc in the serum could be risk factors for atherosclesrosis

Transcendence of avant-garde negativity as a determinant of the social position of European music in the 20th century

Starting with Adorno’s negative dialectic and his consideration of musical material as the crucial theoretical notion that implies the negative dialectic core, we examine in this study the deconstructive potential of materialization of some musical antinomies of the 20th century. We follow this materialization from the aspect of transcendence of the antinomy considered as a certain musical ‘unit’ of negativity. This process is investigated here in reference to the concepts of musical material and the dual determination of music and musical-aesthetic experience, as well as to the musically concrete levels regarding musical substance and language of the avant-garde and post modernity, as representatives of a further possible antinomy: respectively, between the phenomenological and the hermeneutical. Functioning within all these levels individually, the process of transcendence brings about consequences which in our view can be considered as general criteria affecting the social position of European music of the 20th century

What, how, and why in Serbian music after the Second World War, in the light of ideological-political upheavals

The subject of this paper concerns the consideration of the social and artistic position of Serbian music within the framework of socialist cultural policies and the post-socialist culture of Serbia in transition. That position will be examined from the perspective of some vital creative issues in respect of which aesthetic, poetical and stylistic streams have often been formed or modified, and weighed against each other. This involves the problems of what and how, which ultimately lie at the root of every musical trend and more generally in art, coupled with the problem of why as a certain point of ‘rotation’ at which both the what and the how are met and modified. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development: Identities of Serbian Music in the World Cultural Context

Management of antiphospholipid syndrome in adults: The european league against rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations

© 2019, Serbian Medical Society. All rights reserved. Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a rare disease characterised by venous and/or arterial thrombosis, pregnancy complications and the presence of specific autoantibodies called antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies. The European League Against Rheumatism, EULAR, has published a set of recommendations for the management of antiphospholipid syndrome in adults, based on the systematic literature reviews (SLRs) results and expert opinions. Low dose aspirin (LDA) is recommended for asymptomatic aPL carriers, patients with systemic lupus erythematosus without prior thrombotic or obstetric APS, and nonpregnant women with a history of obstetric APS only, all with high-risk aPL profiles. Patients with APS and the first unprovoked venous thrombosis should receive long-term treatment with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) with a target international normalised ratio (INR) of 2–3. In patients with APS with the first arterial thrombosis, treatment with VKA with INR 2–3 or INR 3–4 is recommended, considering the individual’s bleeding/ thrombosis risk. For patients with recurrent arterial or venous thrombosis despite adequate treatment, addition of LDA, increase of INR target to 3–4 or switch to low molecular weight heparin may be considered. In women with prior obstetric APS, combination treatment with LDA and prophylactic dosage heparin during pregnancy is recommended. In patients with recurrent pregnancy complications, increase of heparin to therapeutic dose, addition of hydroxychloroquine or addition of low-dose prednisolone in the first trimester may be considered. These recommendations aim to guide treatment in adults with APS

Plasma Homocysteine Concentrations In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

In this study, we investigated the concentration of serum homocysteine (Hcy) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared with the control group and the connection between homocysteine and parameters of inflammation and disease activity. Sixty RA patients and 20 healthy controls were included in the study, and clinical examination and investigation were performed during which disease activity was assessed. Peripheral blood samples were used for all of the assays. Levels of Hcy were 33% higher in the RA patients than in the control subjects (mean +/− SD 11.79±3.72 μmol/L versus 8.90±1.38 μmol/L; p< 0.01). A significant correlation was found between parameters of inflammation (C-reactive protein) and homocysteine in patients (r=0.322, p=0.012). Patients with high disease activity had a significantly greater increase in homocysteine (p<0.05). An increase in plasma homocysteine in RA patients is related to the parameters of inflammation and disease activity. Elevated Hcy levels occur commonly in patients with RA and may explain some of the increased cardiovascular mortality seen in RA patients

Conductometric and pH metric investigations of the oxalic acid and NaAsO2 reaction

The reaction between NaAsO2 and oxalic acid was studied by pH-metric and conductometric measurements, applying the methods of continual variation and pH-metric and conductometric titration. It was found that oxalic acid forms a complex anion of the type [AsOC2O4]-. The relative stability constant of the complex at ionic strengths, I, of 0.10 (log Kr = 4.70), 0.20 (log Kr = 4.51), 0.50 (log Kr = 4.24) and 0 (log K0r = 5.05) and thermodynamic para¬meters were calculated using the data obtained by pH-metric measurements at 25.0±0.1 °C (DH = 10.5 kJ mol-1, DG = –29.0 kJ mol-1, DS = 133 J mol-1 K-1)

Psoriasis eruptions-like side effects after the use of etanercept-case report

© 2019, Serbian Medical Society. All rights reserved. The use of tumor necrosis factor antagonists (anti-TNF) has become a usual practice to treat various inflammatory diseases. Although indicated for the treatment of psoriasis, anti-TNF may paradoxically trigger a psoriasiform condition. We present a case of a female patient who, during the use of etanercept for rheumatoid arthritis, developed psoriasis. After histopathological confirmation and consultation, the dermatologist concluded that psoriasis was a paradoxical effect of anti-TNF inhibitors. Anti-TNF inhibitor is replaced with other biological drug-tocilizumab. After the change of the drug, psoriasis eruptions were completely resolved. The paradoxical form of psoriasis after the use of anti-TNF inhibitor requires a change of the drug with other mechanism of action