Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU Momentum

Last autumn, the European Commission issued a rather pessimistic country progress report for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since then, positive developments took place. The surprise came in December 2011, when, after 15 months of political deadlock,Bosnia and Herzegovina managed to form a government, more precisely a Council of Ministers under the leadership of Vjekoslav Bevanda

Extraction of chlorophyll A, B and carotenoids from nannochloropsis oculata after heavy metal adsorption

The main objective of the present study was to determine the most suitable solvent for photosynthetic pigments extraction from the Nannochloropsis oculata biomass after adsorption of Cu, Zn and Cd from mono and multicomponent solutions. The results revealed that the highest percentage removal of heavy metals from mono solutions was achieved for Zn 20 mg/L (96.2 %), followed by Cu 20 mg/L (92.6 %) and Zn 50 mg/L (92.1 %), respectively. Organic solvents, namely ethanol, methanol and acetone were tested for chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids extractions. It was observed that higher contents of chlorophyll a were obtained after extraction with methanol from algal biomass after Cd and Zn adsorption from single component solutions. After a comparative examination, the highest content of chlorophyll b was obtained after the extraction with acetone

Berberine: Botanical Occurrence, Traditional Uses, Extraction Methods, and Relevance in Cardiovascular, Metabolic, Hepatic, and Renal Disorders

Berberine-containing plants have been traditionally used in different parts of the world for the treatment of inflammatory disorders, skin diseases, wound healing, reducing fevers, affections of eyes, treatment of tumors, digestive and respiratory diseases, and microbial pathologies. The physico-chemical properties of berberine contribute to the high diversity of extraction and detection methods. Considering its particularities this review describes various methods mentioned in the literature so far with reference to the most important factors influencing berberine extraction. Further, the common separation and detection methods like thin layer chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry are discussed in order to give a complex overview of the existing methods. Additionally, many clinical and experimental studies suggest that berberine has several pharmacological properties, such as immunomodulatory, antioxidative, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, and renoprotective effects. This review summarizes the main information about botanical occurrence, traditional uses, extraction methods, and pharmacological effects of berberine and berberine-containing plants

Reasons to care: Personal motivation as a key factor in the practice of the professional foster carer in Romania.

Personal motivation is a key factor in the service of foster care, impending both on the welfare of the child and on the satisfaction of the carer. This paper explores the benefits, challenges and dilemmas involved in the job of professional (i.e. state-supported) foster carer in Romania-a country where the issue of child protection has drawn a great deal of international attention over the last thirty years. The principal hypothesis concerns whether the benefits, challenges and dilemmas identified by foster carers are influenced by the factors that led to their taking up this kind of work. Quantitative research was conducted using a questionnaire as the main tool. The paper takes a descriptive, cross-sectional and multifactorial approach. Sampling was carried out by self-selecting method, and the study involved 51 participants. The research project identified a statistically significant variation in the challenges and dilemmas reported by foster carers. Thus, the results of the study show that the majority of the carers indicate a primarily intrinsic motivation for their work. By way of conclusion, it is argued that social workers, operating in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, can offer carers support in managing more difficult periods in the child-carer relationship, thus enhancing the sustainability of the foster care service

THE EFFECT OF MULTIPLE-DOSE PAROXETINE ON THE PHARMACOKINETIC PROFILE OF CARVEDILOL IN RATS

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of multiple-dose paroxetine upon the pharmacokinetic profile of carvedilol in rats. Carvedilol was orally administrated in rats (3.57 mg/kg body mass (b.m.)) in the absence of paroxetine or after a pre-treatment with multiple oral doses of paroxetine (7.14 mg/kg b.m.). The plasma concentrations of carvedilol were estimated by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. After carvediol co-administration with paroxetine, an approximately 4.5-fold increase in the exposure of carvedilol was observed, considering the significantly elevated value of AUC0-∞. Furthermore, an increase by 72% of peak plasma concentration was found, as well as an augmentation by 91% of the half life time of carvedilol was observed. Paroxetine co-administration led to a significant alteration of carvedilol’s pharmacokinetic profile in rats, these effects could be explained by the existence of a drug-drug interaction mediated by CYP2D6 inhibition

Gut Molecules in Cardiometabolic Diseases: The Mechanisms behind the Story

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diabetes mellitus increases cardiovascular risk. Heart failure and atrial fibrillation are associated comorbidities that share the main cardiovascular risk factors. The use of incretin-based therapies promoted the idea that activation of alternative signaling pathways is effective in reducing the risk of atherosclerosis and heart failure. Gut-derived molecules, gut hormones, and gut microbiota metabolites showed both positive and detrimental effects in cardiometabolic disorders. Although inflammation plays a key role in cardiometabolic disorders, additional intracellular signaling pathways are involved and could explain the observed effects. Revealing the involved molecular mechanisms could provide novel therapeutic strategies and a better understanding of the relationship between the gut, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases