Impact of drought and salt stress on seed germination and seedling growth of maize hybrids

Since maize is grown in climatically diverse regions and under different production conditions, the aim of our study was to investigate the effect of two common stress factors (drought and salinity), on seed germination, as well as on seedling root and shoot length of maize hybrids. The experiments were conducted in 2015, in the Laboratory for Seed Testing of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops from Novi Sad, Serbia, on seven maize hybrids from different maturity groups (from FAO 300 to FAO 700). For simulation of drought conditions we have used polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 (control and concentration of 1, 10, 16 and 23%). For study of salt stress, NaCl in concentration of 0.02, 0.07, 0.12, 0.17, 0.20 and 0.22 M has been used. The data obtained were processed by ANOVA. Duncan's Multiple Range Test was used to measure statistical differences between treatment methods and the control. In drought stress study, germination percentage started to decrease at the 0.1 MPa. Root and seedling length were less affected by PEG treatment. In salt stress study, a significant drop in germination was observed at the concentration of 0.20 M of NaCl

Sustavna terapija raka debelog crijeva – pregled novih kliničkih studija

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract worldwide, and also one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality, accounting for more than 600000 deaths every year. Depending on the stage of the disease some patients who were surgically treated for CRC with curative intent require adjuvant chemotherapy (fluorouracile-based), which reduces the risk of recurrence and death in patients with stage III CRC, but its role in stage II is still controversial. Pathogenesis of CRC is a result of two different genetic pathways: chromosomal instability (CIN), and inactivation of mismatch repair (MMR) genes. Stage II patients with deficient MMR tumor status do not benefit from adjuvant therapy and should receive surgery alone. For patients with metastatic CRC optimal sequence of chemotherapy regimens and targeted therapy is still debated. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been validated as a therapeutic target in several human tumors including CRC. Recently it has been reported that activating mutations in exons 2, 3, and 4 of both KRAS and NRAS all predict a lack of response to EGFR trageted agents. Recent studies suggest BRAF is another prognostic and potential predictive biomarker of CRC. It is necessary to indentify new prognostic and predictive markers, to acquire maximal benefit from every therapy line and to improve prognosis of these patients.Rak debelog crijeva (CRC) najučestalija je maligna neoplazma gastrointestinalnog trakta, te je sa preko 600.000 smrti godišnje jedan od vodećih uzroka smrtnosti od zloćudnih bolesti. Ovisno o stadiju bolesti, neki od bolesnika koji su kirurški liječeni radi raka debelog crijeva s ciljem izlječenja zahtijevaju primjenu adjuvantne kemoterapije (bazirane na fluorouracilu) koja smanjuje rizik povrata bolesti i smrti u III. stadiju bolesti, no njena uloga u stadiju II još je uvijek nedovoljno jasna. Patogeneza u CRC rezultat je dvaju različitih molekulsko-genskih mehanizama: kromosomske nestabilnosti (CIN) te inaktivacije gena koji sudjeluju u popravku pogrešno spojenih fragmenata DNA (MMR). Na temelju provedenih istraživanja, u bolesnika stadija II u kojih je prisutan deficijentan MMR status ne postoji dobit od primjene adjuvantne terapije te je u toj skupini bolesnika kirurško liječenje dostatno. U bolesnika s metatastatskim CRC još uvijek nema konsenzusa o optimalnom redoslijedu kemoterapijskih protokola i ciljane biološke terapije. Receptor za epidermalni čimbenik rasta (EGFR) potvrđen je kao terapijski cilj u više humanih tumora, uključujući CRC. Odnedavno, istraživanja su pokazala da aktivirajuće mutacije na eksonima 2, 3 i 4 KRAS i NRAS gena dovode do izostanka odgovora na ciljanu terapiju usmjerenu na EGFR. BRAF je još jedan od istraživanih biljega u raku debelog crijeva, te je pokazano da je povezan sa lošijom prognozom. Potrebna su daljnja istraživanja i identifikacija novih prognostičkih i prediktivnih biljega kako bi se postigla maksimalna učinkovitost svake terapijske linije te poboljšala prognoza ovih bolesnika

Ozračivanje slezene u bolesnika sa zloćudnim i drugim hematološkim bolestima – iskustva jedne bolničke ustanove

Splenic irradiation has long been known as a palliative treatment modality in patients with various malignant hematologic diseases aiming to ameliorate clinical symptoms of splenomegaly as well as clinical sequels of hypersplenism. It provides considerable effect with low toxicity although exact radiotherapy dose and fractionation schedule are not known. During the 1996-2010 period, eleven patients were treated at our institution with splenic irradiation. They received 16 courses of fractionated radiotherapy. There were six patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, four with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and one patient with myelofibrosis. The median of the dose received was 7 Gy, while the median of dose received per fraction was 1 Gy. Both parallel opposed anterior-posterior fields and tangential fields were used. Due to the clinical target volume shrinkage, the treatment field was reduced in 44% of courses. Of the courses initiated for symptom control, 71% resulted in effective palliation, whereas of the courses started to treat hematologic sequels of hypersplenism 50% produced desirable effects. The most common side effects included thrombocytopenia and anemia. Splenic irradiation provides effective and low-toxic palliation of symptoms but it is much less successful in treating hematologic disorders caused by hypersplenism.Ozračivanje slezene je najstariji poznati način palijativnog liječenja bolesnika s različitim zloćudnim hematološkim bolestima. Ima za cilj umanjiti kliničke simptome splenomegalije, kao i posljedice hipersplenizma. Ozračivanje slezene ima značajan učinak uz nisku toksičnost, ali točna radioterapijska doza kao i način frakcioniranja nisu poznati. Između 1996. i 2010. godine 11 bolesnika je liječeno u našoj ustanovi ovim postupkom. Ti bolesnici su primili ukupno 16 aplikacija frakcioniranog zračenja. Šest bolesnika je imalo ne-Hodgkinov limfom, četiri kroničnu limfatičnu leukemiju, a jedan bolesnik je imao mijelofibrozu. Medijan aplicirane tumorske doze bio je 7 Gy, a medijan aplicirane doze po frakciji 1 Gy. Korištena su nasuprotna paralelna te tangencijska radioterapijska polja. Zbog smanjenja kliničkog ciljnog volumena terapijsko polje je tijekom postupka radioterapije smanjeno u 44% radioterapijskih aplikacija. Od radioterapijskih postupaka započetih s ciljem kontrole simptoma 71% ih je rezultiralo uspješnom palijacijom, dok je od postupaka koji su započeti radi popravka hematoloških posljedica hipersplenizma njih 50% izazvalo željeni učinak. Najčešće nuspojave bile su trombocitopenija i anemija. Ozračivanje slezene omogućuje učinkovitu i nisko toksičnu palijaciju simptoma, ali je manje uspješno u liječenju hematoloških poremećaja uzrokovanih hipersplenizmom

Radiation Therapy in Treatment of Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is an extremely rare genetic disorder with diffuse extra-skeletal bone formation. The genetic mutation responsible for FOP has recently been discovered and is connected with excessive activation of bone morphogenetic protein receptor. This disease usually begins with typical ossification pattern in early childhood, causing increasing disability and making patients totally disabled by the age of 30. Ectopic ossification develops spontaneously and can be triggered by any trauma and even intramuscular injections. The symptoms of FOP are often misdiagnosed as cancer, causing unnecessary biopsies, which can precipitate further progressive heterotopic ossification. There is no effective treatment for this severe condition. Radiotherapy can be helpful in impeding ossification, although the strict evidence for that is lacking. There are only two reports in the literature referring to the use of radiotherapy in treatment of FOP. Herein, we present a 35-year-old patient successfully treated with small doses of fractionated radiotherapy in several courses. This case indicates that radiotherapy can be useful in treating patients with FO

Parenhimni angiosarkom poslije zračenja: prikaz slučaja

Secondary angiosarcoma is an aggressive tumor that can develop in breast cancer patients treated with conserving therapy and radiotherapy. The symptoms can be misleading, whereas mammography and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) are typically negative in early stage of the disease. A high grade of clinical suspicion is very important for early diagnosis. A case of angiosarcoma involving breast parenchyma in a patient treated with quadrantectomy and radiotherapy for T1cN1Mx breast carcinoma is presented.Sekundarni angiosarkom je agresivni tumor koji se može razviti kod bolesnica s rakom dojke liječenih terapijom očuvanja i radioterapijom. Simptomi mogu dovesti u zabunu, dok su mamografija i citološka punkcija redovito negativne u ranom stadiju bolesti. Za ranu dijagnozu vrlo je važna visoka klinička sumnja na ovu bolest. Prikazuje se slučaj angiosarkoma koji je zahvatio parenhim dojke u bolesnice liječene kvadrantektomijom i radioterapijom zbog raka dojke T1cN1Mx

Digital Technologies for Urban Regeneration: A Case Study of the Former Bileća Street in Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Digital or Fourth Industrial Revolution, which began in the 1980s, is the event that has contributed the most substantially to possibilities for global information dissemination. The explosion of digital technologies over the last twenty years has brought change to the conventional workflow. Institutions dealing with cultural heritage have recognised the opportunities afforded by digital technologies for the preservation of tangible and intangible heritage, especially the great potential they have shown for improving public access to different forms of cultural heritage and its reuse.1Over the last two decades, there has been a debate among experts about the benefits and drawbacks of using digital technologies for the purpose of preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the relationship between the material and virtual worlds. Digitisation has caused many controversies and dilemmas as to whether digital technologies can recapture the past outside what was previously the human sociocultural context. Heritage is revitalised not solely for its spatial presentation, but also for the experience and magic of feeling that one is in the past. This is a creative approach that allows one to experience history using all senses and is a way to present heritage that really appeals to people. The upside of digital technology is that it allows the protection, conservation and promotion of tangible and intangible heritage. Ideas and initiatives such as virtual museums, libraries and galleries are readily embraced when a site or an institution cannot be accessed physically, and they were actively implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is often reiterated that the ultimate goal of using digital technology is to understand the past and to appreciate the achievements of ancestors. 2 The European Commission launched Europeana, a platform that provides access to cultural heritage through digital technology and is freely publicly accessible. 3 The use of digital technology is a two-way process in that it has influenced our understanding of heritage on the one hand, while on the other, cultural heritage has also influenced how digital tools can be used

Imunoterapija karcinoma bubrega

Targeted therapy has been the standard of care for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The current standard of care focuses on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (sunitinib, sorafenib, pazopanib, axitinib), antibodies to circulating VEGF receptor (bevacizumab) and m-TOR inhibitors (temsirolimus, everolimus). New immune-based therapies are emerging as a promising treatment for mRCC. Immune checkpoint blockade has shown clinically signifi cant antitumor response. Monoclonal antibodies against immune checkpoint blockade molecules including PD-1 (programmed cell death 1) and CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4) have become a major focus in the immune-based therapy since it has been reported that they have impressive antitumor eff ects. The most studied inhibitors in the PD-1 pathway are: nivolumab, pembrolizumab and atezolizumab. Based on the results of the phase III clinical trial (CheckMate025) nivolumab, humanized monoclonal IgG4 antibody against PD-1, is the only agent that is approved by the FDA for the second-line treatment of mRCC. Ipilimumab is the fi rst-in-class immunotherapeutic for blockade of CTLA-4. The immunotherapy combinations have demonstrated promising results in a randomized trials. The use of cancer treatment vaccines is another approach to immunotherapy and will be systematically evaluated in the future. Immunotherapy has demonstrated great clinical potential and it represents crucial component of mRCC treatment. Developing immunotherapy to the point of clinical utility presents a number of issue and challenges, and more rigorous studies are needed.Ciljana terapija danas predstavlja osnovicu sistemskog liječenja metastatskog raka bubrega (mRB), a standard liječenja su tirozin-kinazni inhibitori (sunitinib, sorafenib, pazopanib, aksitinib), protutijela na cirkulirajući VEGF receptor (bevacizumab) i m-TOR inhibitori (temsirolimus, everolimus). Noviji imunoterapijski principi predstavljaju značajne iskorake u liječenju mRB. Jedna forma imunoterapije je inhibicija imunoloških kontrolnih točaka (eng. immune checkpoint). Blokiranjemjednog od dva najistraživanija imunološka receptora; antigen 4 povezan s aktivnošću citotoksičnih T-limfocita (CTLA-4) i receptor programirane stanične smrti (PD-1), potenciramo antitumorski imunološki odgovor. Među najistraživanije anti-PD-1 inhibitore ubrajamo: nivolumab, pembrolizumab i avelumab. Nivolumab je ljudsko monoklonalno antitijelo kojega je Američka agencija za hranu i lijekove odobrila u drugoj liniji liječenje mRB, a na osnovi rezultata kliničke studije faze III (CheckMate025). Ipilimumab je prvi registrirani checkpoint inhibitor koji blokira inhibitorni signal (CTLA-4 receptor) na površini citotoksičnih T limfocita. Veliki pomak u imunoterapiji mRB postigut je primjenom konkomitantnih protokola liječenja. Novija istraživanja primjene imunoterapije u liječenju raka bubrega uključuju i pronalaženje cjepiva koje bi prepoznavalo i uništavalo promijenjene tumorske stanice. Imunoterapija ima jasno mjesto i veliki potencijal u liječenju raka bubrega. Ipak, postoji još niz problema i pitanja te su potrebna brojna daljnja istraživanja kako bi se iskoristio njen puni potencijal

Glioblastom maloga mozga kod starije osobe - prikaz slučaja

Cerebellar glioblastoma in the elderly is rare. Only 33 cases have been reported in the literature. We report on a 65-year-old male patient with cerebellar glioblastoma. Computed tomography scan revealed a posterior fossa tumor of 34x33x52 mm in size, with hydrocephalus. The patient presented with posterior fossa symptoms, ataxia, nausea and vomiting. He deteriorated rapidly and ventricular drainage was performed. When the patient\u27s condition improved, suboccipital median craniectomy was performed and the tumor was removed. Postoperative treatment included radiotherapy and temozolomide chemotherapy.Glioblastom maloga mozga je veoma rijedak. Dosad su u literaturi prikazana 33 bolesnika starije životne dobi s glioblastomom maloga mozga. Prikazan je slučaj muškarca u dobi od 65 godina. Kompjutorizirana tomografija maloga mozga pokazala je ekspanzivni proces maloga mozga veličine 34x33x52 mm. U kliničkoj slici je bila prisutna cerebelarna simptomatologija. Bolesnik je operiran u dva zahvata: najprije je zbog hipertenzijskog opstrukcijskog hidrocefalusa učinjena vanjska ventrikularna drenaža, a u drugom zahvatu medijalna subokcipitalna kraniektomija i ablacija tumora. Histopatološki nalaz je ukazao na glioblastom maloga mozga. Poslijeoperacijski je provedeno onkološko liječenje koje je uključivalo radioterapiju i kemoterapiju temozolomidom