Etiological aspect of left-handedness in adolescents

Introduction. Lateralization of brain functions such as language and manual dominance (hand preferences and fine motor control) are most likely under genetic control. However, this does not preclude the effect of various environmental factors on functional brain lateralization. A strong association of non-right-handedness (left- and mixed-handedness) with various neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g. schizophrenia, autism, Rett syndrome) implies that in some cases, non-right-handedness may be acquired rather than inherited (i.e., pathologically determined). Objective. The aim of the study was: (a) re-investigation of several known risk factors for left-handedness (age of mother and/or father, twin pregnancies, and birth order), and (b) examination of hitherto uninvestigated factors (type of birth, Apgar score, maternal smoking during pregnancy). Methods. Putative, causative environmental agents for this shift in manual distributions are explored in a sample of 1031 high school students (404 males and 627 females) from Belgrade. Both pre-existing (age of parents, twin pregnancy, and birth order) and new (Apgar score, maternal smoking, type of birth) putative agents are examined. Results. We found that maternal smoking and low Apgar score (2-6) can significantly increase risk for left-handedness (p=0.046 and p=0.042, respectively). The remaining factors showed no significant association with left-handedness in adolescents. Conclusion. Our study clearly demonstrates that left-handedness may be related to maternal smoking during pregnancy and a low Apgar score on birth

KOPB i komorbiditeti

COPD very often coexist with comorbidities, usually sharing the same risk factors and negatively influencing other diseases. COPD and comorbidities are caused and worsened by inflammatory and oxidative mechanisms with prevalence ranging from 20% to 81%. Cardiovascular diseases (CD) have the highest incidence and potentially the highest risk of death, taking into account other comorbidities. Common pathophysiological mechanisms are endothelial dysfunction, pro-coagulant and pro-inflammatory conditions and obesity. The most common cardiovascular comorbidities are coronary heart disease, heart failure, arterial hypertension and peripheral vascular disease. Reduction in FEV1 increases the rate of coronary events and mortality. Timely diagnosis of CD in COPD patients is necessary, as well as making diagnosis of COPD in patients with CD. Invasive and noninvasive assessment of CHD is often difficult in COPD patients because they exhibit respiratory limitations during exercise and stress. Arterial hypertension and peripheral vascular disease occur frequently in COPD patients due to endothelial dysfunction. Pulmonary function is negatively correlated with blood pressure in a healthy population and COPD patients. The prevalence of heart rhythm disorders is 12%– 14% in COPD patients and atrial fibrillation is the most common among them. Inhaled long-acting beta-2-agonists have an acceptable safety profile in cardiovascular patients. Osteoporosis is the major COPD comorbidity, which is often under-diagnosed and correlated with poor overall health status and COPD prognosis. Vitamin D deficiency relates to COPD and its comorbidities reducing innate and acquired immunity. Lung cancer, metabolic syndrome, obesity, malnutrition, depression, obstructive sleep apnea, muscle dysfunction and anemia are COPD comorbidities as well.KOPB je često udružen s komorbiditetima s kojima dijeli iste rizične faktore i ima negativan utjecaj na druge bolesti. KOPB i njegove komorbiditete uzrokuje i pogoršava upala i mehanizam oksidacije u rasponu od 20 do 81 %. Najveću incidenciju i najveći smrtni rizik nose kardiovaskularne bolesti. Uobičajeni patofiziološki mehanizam je endotelna disfunkcija, prokoagulantno i proinflamatorno stanje te pretilost. Najčešći kardiovaskularni komorbiditeti su koronarna bolest srca, srčano zatajivanje, arterijska hipertenzija i periferna vaskularna bolest. Smanjenje FEV1 povećava učestalost koronarnih događaja i mortalitet. U bolesnika s KOPB-om neophodna je pravovremena dijagnoza kardiovaskularne bolesti kao i dijagnoza KOPB-a u kardiovaskularnih bolesnika. Invazivna i neinvazivna procjena kroničkoga srčanog zatajivanja je otežana u bolesnika s KOPB-om jer bolesnik može imati ograničenja respiracije za vrijeme vježbanja i stresa. Arterijska hipertenzija i periferna vaskularna bolest su česte u bolesnika s KOPB-om zbog endotelne disfunkcije. Funkcija pluća je negativno povezana s krvnim tlakom i u zdravoj populaciji i kod bolesnika s KOPB-om. U bolesnika s KOPB-om prevalencija poremećaja srčanog ritma iznosi 12 do 14 %, a među njima je najčešća fibrilacija atrija. Inhalacija dugodjelujućeg beta 2 agonista ima prihvatljivu podnošljivost kod kardiovaskularnih bolesnika. Osteoporoza je glavni komorbiditet kod bolesnika s KOPB-om, ali je često nedovoljno dijagnosticirana i povezana s cjelokupno lošim zdravstvenim statusom i prognozom KOPB-a. Nedostatak vitamina D povezan je s KOPB-om i komorbiditetima koji smanjuju urođeni i stečeni imunitet. Karcinom pluća, metabolički sindrom, pretilost, malnutricija, depresija, opstruktivna apneja za vrijeme spavanja, disfunkcija mišića i anemija također su komorbiditeti KOPB-a

Analysis of polymorphism in the survivin gene promoter as a potential risk factor for head and neck cancers development

Introduction. Association studies have shown that gene polymorphisms in various classes of genes can modulate cancer risk. The -31G/C polymorphism in the promoter of survivin gene, affects the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein survivin which in turn may predispose an individual to some types of cancer. Objective. The aim of the study was to determine whether the survivin promoter -31G/C polymorphism could be a susceptibility factor for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the skin. Methods. The DNA obtained from 88 patients with SCC, 60 patients with BCC and 111 healthy individuals was subjected to polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PCR- RFLP) in order to determine genotype and allele frequencies in patients and control groups. Logistic regression was used for cancer risk assessment. Results. The following distribution of genotypes was obtained: CC genotype 15% in the SCC group, 13% in the BCC group and 12% in controls; CG genotype 41% in SCCs, 35% in BCCs, 48% in controls; GG genotype 44% in SCCs, 52% in BCCs and 40% in controls. Allelic frequencies were as follows: G allele 0.65 in SCCs, 0.69 in BCCs and 0.64 in the control group; C allele 0.35 in SCCs, 0.31 in BCCs and 0.36 in the control group. There was no statistically significant difference in allele or genotype frequencies between the patients and controls (p>0.05). Conclusion. In Serbian population, -31G/C polymorphism in the promoter of the survivin gene cannot be considered as a risk factor for oral squamous cell carcinoma and skin basal cell carcinoma. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 175075

Knowledge economy as a factor of competitiveness of the Republic of Serbia on a way to the the European Union

Knowledge, that is the obtained knowledge level of a certain community, its capacity to develop innovations , to adopt modern scientific and technological achievements, in other words, its capacity to create a new knowledge, which leads to further prosperity and development, is in the basis of competitiveness. Emphasizing knowledge and innovations as the main resources of developebment and relying on them in creating the competitiveness index surely leads to quality display of competitive capacities of a certain society which is the basis of this paper. Today, the Republic of Serbia is a candidate country for the EU membership and it is at an economic and social turning point, which brings the new challenges and chances. Just as it does for every European country, the European Union represents a basis for stable development and improvement of national competitiveness for Serbia

Intracranial yolk sac tumor in an adult patient: MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging and 1H MR spectroscopy features

Introduction. Yolk sac tumors represent only 5%-7% of intracranial germ cell tumors, which comprise about 1% of all primary brain tumors in adults. Literature data about nonspecific imaging characteristics of these tumors are scant. We presented magnetic resonance imaging findings with diffusion-weighted imaging and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of this rare type of tumor in an adult patient. Case report. A 55-year-old man with progressive left side weakness, headache, dizziness and ataxia, underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. After surgical resection and histological analysis, the final diagnosis of yolk sac tumor was established. Retrospective imaging analysis were performed in order to determine imaging and biochemical parameters that could be useful in the diagnostic evaluation of this tumor type. Conclusion. Though the imaging features of yolk sac tumor are not specific, morphoanatomical and metabolic imaging could offer the information that provides new insights into this tumor that may facilitate further therapeutic decision process and potentially provides better information regarding the disease prognosis

Validacija sprske verzije upitnika za procenu hronične opstruktivne bolesti pluća

Uvod/Cilj. Upitnik za procenu hronične opstruktivne bolesti pluća (HOBP) (engl. COPD Assessment Test - CAT) je jednostavan i pouzdan test namenjen za merenje ukupnog zdravstvenog stanja bolesnika sa HOBP i koristan je za upotrebu u svakodnevnoj kliničkoj praksi. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je da se proceni validnost i opravdanost primene srpske verzije CAT. Metode. U studiji je učestvovalo 140 bolesnika u stabilnom stanju HOBP, ispitivanih u ambulantnim uslovima na Klinici za pulmologiju, Kliničkog centra Srbije u Beogradu i Institutu za plućne bolesti Vojvodine u Sremskoj Kamenici. Tokom prvog pregleda bolesnicima je učinjeno ispitivanje plućne funkcije (spirometrija), popunili su CAT upitnik i mMMR (modified Medical Research Council) skalu za procenu stepena dispneje. Pouzdanost CAT test-retesta je ispitivana kod 20 bolesnika od strane istog istraživača. Rezultati. Pokazali smo da srpska verzija CAT ima visoku internu konzistentnost sa Cronbach-ovim alfa 0.88. Test-retest analiza pokazala je dobru korelaciju između CAT rezultata u dve vremenske tačke (Spearmanov r = 0,681; p < 0,01). CAT je umereno korelirao sa mMRC skalom (r = + 0,57), blago sa forsiranim ekspiratornim volumenom u prvoj sekundi (FEV1), (r -0,214), uz pozitivnu korelaciju sa ukupnim brojem pogoršanja HOBP, ali bez jasne regularnosti sa promenom GOLD (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease) stadijuma. Zaključak. Srpska verzija CAT je pokazala visoku internu konzistentnost i test-retest pouzdanost. Ona predstavlja pouzdano, jednostavno i lako sredstvo za upotrebu koje se može koristiti u svakodnevnoj kliničkoj praksi za procenu zdravstvenog stanja kod bolesnika sa HOBP u Srbiji.Background/Aim. The Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Assessment Test (CAT) is a simple and reliable tool designed to measure overall COPD related health status and complement physician assessment in rou-tine clinical practice. Objective of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Serbian version of CAT. Methods. Study included 140 outpatients in the stable COPD, recruited from two centres: Clinic for Pulmonology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, and Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina, Sremska Kamenica. All patients completed pulmonary function testing – spirometry, the CAT and the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale at baseline visit. The CAT test-retest reliability was tested in 20 patients by the same investigator (physician). Results.We demonstrated that Serbian version of CAT had high internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha 0.88. Test-retest analysis showed good correlation between CAT scores in two time points (Spearman’s ρ = 0.681, p < 0.01). In our study the CAT correlated moderately to mMRC scale (ρ = +0.57), weakly to FEV1 (ρ -0.214), was positively related to number of exacerbations, but did not showed exact regularity with change in the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive lung disease (GOLD) stage. Conclusion.The Serbian version of CAT is a reliable, simple and easy-to-use tool that can be used in everyday clinical practice to assess the health status of COPD patients in Serbia

Registri bolesnika s hroničnim opstruktivnim bolestima pluća – zašto su važni?

COPD is most probably not just a single disease, but a syndrome made up of numerous individual overlapping diseases. The concept of phenotyping COPD patients would not be feasible without major population-based studies and patient registries. The aim of setting up a COPD registry has been defined as the need to establish the disease prevalence, phenotype incidence, clinical features, co-morbidities, treatment specificities, together with monitoring of the disease’s natural course and its outcome on a large sample of patients. In Serbia, an online registry of COPD patients has been operational since 2016, and the recent insight (before the manuscript’s submission) shows over 4,200 entries. Analysis of the population of patients entered shows that an average patient is male (63%), smoker or ex-smoker (90.48%), over 60 years of age (82.01%). Pulmonary function analysis shows that the majority of enrolled patients (82%) have moderate to severe obstruction, with an average FEV1 of 52.82% of the predicted value, while 45% of patients have FEV1 value below 50% of the predicted value. The Charlson Comorbidity Index shows that half of the patients (49.97%) have one comorbidity. Most common comorbidities are arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, liver disease, congestive heart failure, and coronary ischemic disease. Comorbidities such as osteoporosis, depression, and anxiety have been reported very rarely. The phenotype analysis showed equal shares of two predominant groups: non-exacerbators (51.12%), and exacerbators (48.88%) within which there are groups of patients with pulmonary emphysema (34.35%) and patients with chronic bronchitis (14.53%). The data indicate that strategy for COPD treatment in our environment is changing towards adoption of modern recommendations and guidelines for treatment of this disease. The data enable a comprehensive insight into the disease and drawing up of feasible treatment strategies that give us hope for success.HOBP verovatno nije samo jedna bolest već sindrom sačinjen od brojnih, pojedinačnih bolesti koje se preklapaju. Koncept fenotipizacije pacijenata sa HOBP-om ne bi bio moguć bez velikih, populacionih studija i registara pacijenata. Cilj kreiranja registara pacijenata sa HOBP-om je definisan potrebom da se na velikom uzorku utvrdi prevalenca bolesti, učestalost fenotipova, kliničke karakteristike, komorbiditeti, specifičnosti terapije, uz praćenje prirodnog toka bolesti do njenog ishoda. U Srbiji od 2016. godine postoji elektronski (onlajn) registar pacijenata sa hroničnom opstruktivnom bolešću pluća, koji je u momentu pisanja ovog teksta brojao više od 4200 unosa. Analiza populacije pacijenta unetih u registar HOBP-a ukazuje na to da je prosečan pacijent muškarac (63% pacijenata), pušač ili bivši pušač (ukupno 90,48% pacijenata), stariji od 60 godina (82,01% pacijenata). Analiza plućne funkcije pokazuje da većina pacijenata (82%) ima umerenu i srednje tešku opstrukciju, sa prosečnom vrednošću FEV1 od 52,82% predviđene vrednosti, dok 45% pacijenata ima vrednost FEV1 nižu od 50% predviđene vrednosti. Čarlsonov indeks komorbiditeta je pokazao da polovina pacijenata (49,97%) ima jedan komorbiditet. Najučestaliji komorbiditeti su: arterijska hipertenzija, dijabetes melitus, bolesti jetre, kongestivna srčana slabost i koronarna ishemijska bolest. Komorbiditeti poput osteoporoze, depresije i anksioznosti su vrlo retko prijavljivani. U pogledu fenotipova zapaža se da je učestalost dve dominirajuće grupe bolesnika izjednačena: grupa neegzacerbatora (51,12%), zatim egzacerbatora (48,88%), u okviru kojih se nalaze grupe pacijenata sa emfizemom pluća sa 34,35% zastupljenosti i pacijenata sa hroničnim bronhitisom sa 14,53% zastupljenosti. Podaci ukazuju na to da se strategija lečenja HOBP-a u našoj sredini ipak menja, uz usvajanje savremenih preporuka i smernica za lečenje ove bolesti. Ovakvi podaci nam omogućavaju da sagledamo bolest iz svih uglova i kreiramo realno izvodljive strategije lečenja koje daju nadu za postizanje uspeha

The influence of impurities in natural seeds of alfalfa and red clover on the seed cleaning process

The paper presents the results of the cleaning process of five different lots of natural alfalfa seeds and five different lots of natural red clover seeds. Natural alfalfa and red clover seeds had 75 % to 77 % purity. The experiment was performed in the seed processing center of the Institute for Forage Crops Kruševac. Seed cleaning is performed on different machines that work on the principle of differences in the physical properties of seeds. Significant parameters that define the quality of seeds after processing on the cleaning equipment are the amount of pure seed, weed seed, the seed of other crops, inert matter, amount of pure processed seed, seed losses and processing output. The obtained results enable the correct adjustment of the equipment for the seed processing, depending on the amount and type of weeds and other impurities found in the natural seed of alfalfa and red clover

Marked epithelial to mesenchymal transition in surgical margins of oral cancer-an in vitro study

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a feature of several types of human cancer, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In the present study, tumor and margin cell cultures obtained from patients with OSCC were used to determine the expression patterns of certain EMT-associated markers, including vimentin, alpha -smooth muscle actin, SLUG and SNAIL. In addition, other EMT-associated features, including clonal, proliferative and migratory potential were compared between the two cell types. Cell cultures were generated from tumor and margin tissue samples from 6 patients and cultured up to the fifth passage. EMT marker expression was assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Cell proliferation, colony formation and scratch wound healing assays were conducted to characterize the two cell types in terms of proliferation rates, clonality and motility. All of the studied markers were expressed in tumor and margin cells. Although no significant differences were noted with regard to the aforementioned markers, their expression tended to be higher in margin cultures than in tumor cultures. The expressions of the EMT markers were also higher in the fifth passage compared with those noted at the first with a few exceptions. The rates of proliferation and cell migration were decreased during passages, while the number of colonies was increased in both types of cell culture. Tumor and margin cells indicated certain similarities with regard to EMT transition characteristics

Dynamic instability of methanol oxidation from alkaline solution on stationary Pt electrode

Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was used to study the dynamic instability of electrochemical oxidation of methanol in alkaline solution at stationary platinum electrode. Methanol oxidation was carried out in bicarbonate, carbonate and different pH values of sodium hydroxide solution. Experiments were conducted with and without previous stabilization of the working electrode in alkaline solution