Methodological decision-support framework for selecting the road toll collection system

У дисертацији су разматрани проблеми комерцијалне експлоатације друмске инфраструктуре који се односе на избор одговарајућег система за наплату путарине, оптимизацију рада наплатних станица и дефинисање одговарајуће тарифне политике. При томе су развијени одговарајући модели уз помоћ којих се обезбеђује ефикасно функционисање службе за наплату путарине са једне стране и захтевани ниво услуге корисника са друге стране. Применом развијених модела и добијених резултата доносиоцима одлука се даје аргументована подршка при одлучивању о избору система за наплату путарине...This dissertation considers the issues of the commercial exploitation of road infrastructure related to selecting the appropriate toll collection system, optimizing the toll plaza operation and defining the appropriate tariff policy. In the process, appropriate models were developed to ensure both the efficient operation of the toll collection service and the required level of service provided to users. The application of the developed models and obtained results provides support to decision makers when selecting the toll collection system..

Bakterijska rezistencija i primena antibiotika u pedijatriji

In the past decades most infective microorganisms have shown increasing resistance to standard available antibiotics. In pediatrics, the increase in the rate of development of antibiotic resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae is of great concern, because these bacteria are the major etiologic agents causing serious pediatric infections such as meningitis and septicemia. Antibiotic resistance among Gram-negative bacteria has reached critical level. The rise of carbapenem resistance in Enterobacteriaceae carrying additional resistance genes to multiple antibiotic classes has created a generation of organisms nearly resistant to all available therapy. Inappropriate use of antibiotics, especially for viral respiratory infections, has favoured the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.U poslednjih nekoliko decenija kod većine patogenih mikroorganizama registrovan je razvoj rezistencije na standardne antibiotike. U pedijatrijskoj praksi porast broja rezistentnih sojeva Streptococcus pneumoniae i Haemophilus influenzae je zabrinjavajući, jer su ove bakterije česti uzročnici ozbiljnih infekcija kao što su meningitis i septikemija. Rezistencija gram-negativnih bakterija na antibiotike dostigla je kritičan nivo. Sojevi enterobakterija koji su rezistentni na karbapeneme istovremeno nose gene rezistencije na više različitih grupa antibiotika, što praktično znači da se radi o bakterijama koje su otporne na skoro sve trenutno dostupne antimikrobne lekove. Neopravdana primena antibiotika, naročito u slučajevima virusnih infekcija gornjih respiratornih puteva, jedan je od faktora koji su doprineli razvoju i širenju rezistentnih sojeva mikroorganizama

Mikroorganizmi i čovek

Microorganisms play a critical role in human survival. The microbial flora that colonizes the human body is numerous and diverse. The normal commensal population of microbes participates in the metabolism of food products, provides essential growth factors, protects against infections with highly virulent microorganisms, and stimulates the immune response. The microbial flora in and on the human body is in a continual state of flux determined by a variety of factors, such as age, diet, hormonal state, health, and personal hygiene. Changes in health can drastically disrupt the delicate balance that is maintained among the heterogeneous organisms coexisting within us. Organisms that colonize humans do not interfere with normal body functions. In contrast, disease occurs when the interaction between microbe and human leads to a pathologic process characterized by damage to the human host. This process can result from microbial factors (the proliferation of the microbe, toxins or cytotoxic enzymes) or the host's immune response to the organism. Antibiotic treatment can rapidly alter the microbial population causing the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant organisms such as Enterococcus, Pseudomonas, and fungi. Clostridium difficile can also grow rapidly in this situation, leading to diseases ranging from diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis.Mikroorganizmi imaju značajnu ulogu u preživljavanju humane vrste. Populacija mikroorganizama koja kolonizuje organizam čoveka je brojna i raznovrsna. Ona učestvuje u metaboličkim procesima, sintetiše vitamine, štiti organizam od infekcije virulentnim patogenima i konstantno stimuliše imunski sistem organizma. Sastav fiziološke mikroflore se menja tokom života i uslovljen je brojnim faktorima kao što su starosna dob, ishrana, hormonski status organizma, lična higijena i zdravstveno stanje organizma. U toku različitih patoloških stanja može doći do značajnog narušavanja fine ravnoteže koja postoji između mikroorganizama i humanog organizma. Fiziološka mikroflora u organizmu čoveka ne dovodi do oštećenja njegove funkcije. Nasuprot tome, bolest se razvija kada u toku interakcije mikroorganizam-čovek dođe do patološkog procesa i oštećenja funkcije organizma. Patološki proces može biti uzrokovan samim mikroorganizmom (proliferacijom i produkcijom različitih toksina i enzima) ili prekomernim imunskim odgovorom organizma. Primena antibiotika može dovesti do brze i značajne izmene populacije fiziološke mikroflore i prekomernog rasta rezistentnih sojeva bakterija (Enterococcus, Pseudomonas) i gljivica. Clostridium difficile je vrsta koja ubrzano proliferiše u tim slučajevima dovodeći do patoloških stanja koja se mogu različito manifestovati počev od dijareja do pseudomembranoznog enterokolitisa

SPINAL CORD POSTURE IN THE SAGITTAL PLANE AMONG YOUNG SCHOOLCHILDREN RESIDING IN THE AREA OF KNJAŽEVAC

In determining the postural status of the spinal column of preschool age children or young school age children, early detection of bad posture is necessary, so that it could be rectified through the proper corrective exercise. The aim of this study is to determine the state of the postural disorders of the spinal column, viewed in the sagittal plane, on a population of preschool children, and young school age children, living on the territory of the municipality of Knjaževac. The sample of participants consisted of 515 young school age and  125 preschool children. In order to determine the postural status of the spinal column in the sagittal plane, we used the ‘Spinal Mouse’ measuring instrument. The results have shown that in both age groups, more than 50% of the children have some form of postural disorder in the sagittal plane. The most widely distributed disorders are the kyphotic and lordotic posture, followed by kypholordosis. In terms of gender, younger school age girls have a more pronounced kypholordotic posture when compared to the boys, with 6% and 1.6% respectively. The frequency of the other postural disorders is almost identical. In the case of female preschool children, the kyphotic posture is  more predominant, while in the case of the boys the lordotic posture is more frequent. The obtained data are important for designing a proper corrective gymnastics program for the improvement of the postural status of the spinal column in the sagittal plane of children living in Knjaževac.Key words: kyphosis, lordosis, straight back, gender, difference

Sastav i antimikrobna aktivnost etarskih ulja Salvia fruticosa i Salvia ringens (Lamiaceae)

Background/Aim. Plant essential oils (EOs) can have a significant antibacterial effect especially through additive or synergistic action as antibiotic adjuvants. We investi-gated the composition and activity of EOs of two species of genus Salvia (S) from Greece with the aim to deter-mine their antimicrobial activity as well as the activity in combination with selected antibiotics. Methods. The aerial parts of wild-growing S. fruticosa and S. ringens were subjected to a steam distillation and the obtained EOs were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chroma-tography/mass spectrometry. The broth-microdilution method was used in order to determine the minimum in-hibitory concentrations (MICs) of EOs on seven strains of bacteria and one yeast. Antimicrobial activity of the combination of EO and antibiotics was investigated by checkerboard method and estimated by calculating frac-tional inhibitory concentration (FIC) of each component and fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI). Re-sults. Dominant component of S. fruticosa EO was trans-thujone (54.2%) and for S. ringens EO it was α-pinene (28.1%). The MICs of EOs of both species were in the range from 200 μg/mL to > 500 μg/mL. The strongest antimicrobial effect was achieved against Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans. According to FICI values, EO of S. fruticosa had additive effect with ciprofloxacin against most of bacterial strains but not with amikacin. Conclu-sion. The essential oils of S. ringens and S. fruticosa showed modest antimicrobial activity. However, the es-sential oil of S. fruticosa showed a promising additive ef-fect in combination with ciprofloxacin.Uvod/Cilj. Etarska ulja različitih biljaka mogu imati značajna antibakterijska svojstva, posebno kao adjuvanti antibiotika sa kojima ostvaruju aditivno ili sinergistično dejstvo. Ispitivali smo sastav i aktivnost etarskih ulja dve vrste roda Salvia (S) iz Grčke sa ciljem da odredimo njihovu antimkrobnu aktivnost, kao i dejstvo u kombi-naciji sa odabranim antibioticima. Metode. Nadzemni delovi samoniklih S. fruticosa i S. ringens su destilovani vodenom parom i dobijena etarska ulja su analizirana gasnom hromatografijom i gasnom hromatografijom sa masenom spektrometrijom. Radi određivanja minimalnih inhibitornih koncentracija (MICs) etarskog ulja na sedam sojeva bakterija i na jednoj patogenoj gljivici korišćena je mikrodiluciona metoda. Antimikrobna aktivnost kombi-nacije etarskog ulja i antibiotika ispitana je checkerboard metodom i procenjena je na osnovu frakcione inhibi-torne koncentracije (FIC) svake komponente i indeksa frakcione inhibitorne koncentracije (FICI). Resultati. Dominantna komponenta etarskog ulja S. fruticosa je bio trans-tujon (54,2%), a etarskog ulja S. ringens α-pinen (28,1%). MICs etarskog ulja obe vrste su bile u opsegu od 200 μg/mL do > 500 μg/mL. Najsnažnija anti-mikrobna aktivnost ostvarena je protiv Bacillus subtilis i Candida albicans. Na osnovu FICI vrednosti, etarsko ulje S. fruticosa je sa ciprofloksacinom, ali ne i sa amikacinom imalo aditivni efekat protiv većine bakterijskih sojeva. Zaključak. Etarska ulja S. ringens i S. fruticosa su pokazala skromnu antimikrobnu aktivnost, ali je etarsko ulje S. fru-ticosa u kombinaciji sa ciprofloksacinom ispoljilo značajan aditivni efekat

Editorial: Antimicrobial nanostructured polymeric materials and nanocomposites, volume II

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and infections caused by multidrug-resistant microbial pathogens represent one of the major clinical challenges responsible for high-level morbidity and mortality. They are a significant problem to the public health and the economic stability of societies all over the world. In November 2021 WHO has declared AMR as one of the top 10 global public health threats (Antimicrobial resistance (who.int)). According to CDC’s 2019 AMR Report, although declining since 2013, with 2.8 million new cases and more than 35,000 deaths each year, the number of people facing the AMR problem in United States is still too high (Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019 (cdc.gov)). AMR also remains the major health concern of EU with more than 670,000 new cases of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains and more than 33,000 deaths per year (Antimicrobial resistance surveillance in Europe 2022 - 2020 data (europa.eu)). In 2019 China recorded 39-% drop of antibiotic use in hospitalised patients compare to 2011 (Antimicrobial resistance - China (who.int)). Still, with 73,000 estimated new cases only for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, the region remained at second position of the global highest incident rates (Antimicrobial resistance - China (who.int)). Each year a large number of people receive different kinds of implants, for example, hip or knee. However recent discoveries reveal that, either during the operative protocol or due to secondary infections, the implant’s surface could be colonized by bacteria, fungi, or both which can have serious consequences on a patient’s health. According to Annual Epidemiological Report of ECDC in 2016, post-surgical infections were identified as most common healthcare-associated infections (Surgical site infections - Annual Epidemiological Report 2016 [2014 data] (europa.eu)). In recent years it has been also recognized that microbial biofilms are ubiquitous, which has resulted in a number of studies from a biofilm perspective. Currently, great efforts are focused on the development of innovative therapeutic strategies regarding both novel drug candidates and drug delivery systems for treating microbial infections associated with implants. However, despite all these efforts as well as the urgent need, an effective and long-lasting solution to this problem is still not found. In the last decades, great attention is paid to nanostructured polymeric materials and nanocomposites because of their unique properties, which make them appropriate candidates for various applications in different medical and pharmaceutical fields. This Research Topic draws attention to the up-to-date findings regarding these issues and advanced therapeutic strategies and approaches as possible solutions

Editorial: Antimicrobial Nanostructured Polymeric Materials and Nanocomposites

Infectious diseases are a significant burden on the public health and the economic stability of societies all over the world. Drug resistance presents an ever-increasing global public health threat that involves all major microbial pathogens and antimicrobial drugs. The considerable concern regarding bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents, bacterial adhesion, and proliferation has generated intense research in this field. Although urgently needed, an effective and long-lasting solution to this problem, i.e. microbial and especially bacterial colonization, has not yet been found. In the last decades, nanomaterials have attracted much attention because of their unique physical, chemical, and mechanical properties, due to their high surface area and size at the nanoscale. Owing to these extraordinary characteristics, nanomaterials are appropriate candidates for various applications in different fields such as medicine, pharmacy, food industry, etc. New strategies based on the use of nanomaterials such as nanoparticles, nanocapsules, nanogels, nanofibers, nanocomposites, or nanocoatings for controlling microbial virulence factors are very promising. In addition special focus recently is paid on nanostructured polymeric materials and nanocomposites with antimicrobial properties. The increasing attention within the scientific community regarding this topic can be easily assessed by searching the suitable keywords in some recognized literature databases. According to Scopus, in the last 10 years, more than 1,300 peer-reviewed documents have been published jointly containing keywords such as “nanocomposites” and “antimicrobial”. Interestingly, in the more specified search which refers to the utilization of nanostructured polymeric materials, it could be observed a similar profile i.e. growing tendency

Antimicrobial activity of oregano (Origanum vulgare L.): And basil (Ocimum basilicum L.): Extracts

Komercijalni uzorci nadzemnih delova Origanum vulgare L. i Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae) su korišćeni za određivanje antimikrobne aktivnosti. Aktivnost ekstrakata različite polarnosti je testirana protiv izabranih mikroorganizama, uključujući laboratorijski soj Helicobacter pilori NCTC 12868. Testirani ekstrakti su imali umerenu aktivnost. Ekstrakti O. vulgare su bili aktivniji protiv bakterija, posebno Gram pozitivnih bakterija sa minimalnim inhibitornim koncentracijama (MIK) između 62,5 i 125 μg/mL, od ekstrakata O. basilicum koji su pokazali aktivnost protiv Candida albicans (MIK 125 μg/mL). Cikloheksanski ekstrakt O. vulgare nije pokazao antimikrobnu aktivnost na testirani H. pylori, dok su ostali testirani ekstrakti bili aktivni sa MIK vrednostima između 250 μg/mL i 500 μg/mL. Identifikovana i kvantifikovana ruzmarinska kiselina i druga polarna jedinjenja mogu predstavljati aktivna jedinjenja sa antibakterijskom aktivnošću u ovim začinima.The commercial samples of aerial parts of Origanum vulgare L. and Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae) were tested for antimicrobial activity. The activity of the extracts with different polarity was tested against a panel of microorganisms, including laboratory strain Helicobacter pylori NCTC 12868. The tested extracts showed a moderate activity. The extracts of O. vulgare were more active against bacteria, especially against Gram positive bacteria with the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) between 62.5 and 125 μg/mL, than the extracts of O. basilicum which were active against Candida albicans (MIC 125 μg/mL). Cyclohexane extract of O. vulgare did not show any activity against tested H. pylori, while all other tested extracts were active with MICs between 250 μg/mL and 500 μg/mL. Identified and quantified rosmarinic acid and other polar compounds could be active antibacterial compounds in these spices

DIFFERENCES IN EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH OF ELITE FEMALE HANDBALL PLAYERS DURING THE COMPETITION SEASON

The aim of our research was to determine the explosive strength of the legs i.e., the height of the jump of the top-ranked female handball players during the season. 15 female players underwent the following tests for estimating the explosive strength of the legs: SJ, CMJ, CMJ free arm, CMJ right leg and CMJ left leg. The Student’s t-test was applied for establishing the changes between the measuring sessions during the season. The results obtained show that there were statistically significant changes and better results at the end of the season in the following parameters: CMJ right leg =.002 and CMJ left leg = .018, whereas no significant changes occurred in all the other two-leg jumps. Taking into consideration the fact that in performing different throws and goal shooting the most prominent movements in handball are done on one leg, the results were expected. It is recommended that throughout the season the training process should include additional exercises for improving and maintaining the ability of the handball players to jump (plyometric, proprioceptive and the combination of the two with the common strength improving exercises), since their positive effects have been proven by quite a few studies

Excellence with leadership: the crown indicator of SCImago Institutions Rankings Iber report

Although there are many models for ranking higher education institutions, the SCImago Institutions Rankings  methodology stands out for its ability to present quantitative and qualitative indicators of scientific output. Besides Total number of published papers, several indicators are concerned with quality dimensions of published papers, such as International collaboration, Scientific leadership or High quality publications . However, official rankings are provided solely on the basis of one indicator: Output (total number of published papers ). This paper presents a statistical I-distance method that integrates all the indicators into one value, which therefore represent a rank and show which of the input indicators is the most important for the process of ranking. Our results clearly showed that Excellence with Leadership  occupies the most significant spot