Distribution of K and Cs in food and food additives from western Serbia and associated radiological ingestion risk.

Soil may contain certain concentrations of the natural radionuclide K as well as the artificial radionuclide Cs, which can accumulate in the edible parts of plants. This can lead to an exceedance of the ingestion dose. In this study, measurements of K and Cs were conducted for 144 food samples (including fruit, tea, cereals, beans, salt, and sugar) using gamma spectrometry.

Radionuclides in drinking water from an industrial region in western Serbia and public health risk assessment.

Drinking water that contains elevated levels of radioactive substances can pose a potential risk for the development of cancer. Therefore, regular monitoring of radioactivity in water intended for human consumption is essential. In this context, a long-term investigation was carried out across 13 sites in the Mačva District (Western Serbia) during the 2010-2020 period.

Prognostic immunotherapy score (PIS) in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma treated with pembrolizumab: real-world data and validation from ARON-2 dataset.

Recent years have seen the development and advent of novel combinatorial strategies based on immunotherapy, and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) - based treatment has established itself as a mainstay in the treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). Herein, we aimed to validate the prognostic value of a previously developed score, the Prognostic Immunotherapy Score (PIS), including female sex, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) and liver metastases, in patients treated with pembrolizumab for advanced UC from the ARON-2 dataset. We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from Metastatic UC patients diagnosed at age ≥ 18 years.

Antifungal Activity of Thymus vulgaris L. Essential Oil Against Candida Species Causing Otomycosis: Anti-Virulence Activity, Synergistic Potential, and Cell Wall Effect.

Otomycosis is a fungal infection of the external auditory canal, predominantly caused by Candida spp. The increasing resistance of these pathogens to conventional antifungal agents requires the exploration of alternative therapeutic approaches. This study was designed to assess the antifungal, anti-virulence, synergistic potential, and mechanism of action of Thymus vulgaris essential oil (EO) against Candida spp.

Exploring the beneficial effects of curcumin-based hydrogel beads in rats with rheumatoid arthritis induced by Freund's complete adjuvant.

The aim of this study was to examine the potential antioxidant activity of curcumin in therapeutic and preventive condition and its potential role as adjuvant to conventional drug methotrexate in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study included 104 female Wistar albino rats, 6 weeks old, body weight of 200-250 g, which were divided into 8 groups (n=13 in each group): 1. CTRL: negative control, 2.

The Complementary Roles of F-Fluorocholine and F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in an Evaluation of A Patient With Parathyroid Carcinoma: A Case Report.

Fluorine-fluorocholine (F-FCH) is a radiopharmaceutical used in primary hyperparathyroidism. The data about its utility in malignancies other than prostate and hepatocellular carcinoma is limited. We present the case of a patient who was referred for F-FCH positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) due to the persistently elevated parathormone and calcium levels following total thyroidectomy with left lower parathyroidectomy for parathyroid carcinoma (PTC).

A systematic review of health promoting effects of consumption of whey-based fermented products on adults.

Introduction: Fermented whey-based products show significant potential as functional foods, owing to their rich nutritional profile and the generation of bioactive compounds during fermentation. This systematic narrative review evaluates the health effects of fermented-whey consumption based on evidence from human studies in adults.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using electronic databases including, PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library for studies published between 1.

Balloon-Expandable Myval Octacor Versus Self-Expanding Evolut PRO/PRO+ and Acurate Neo2: Short-Term Outcomes From Propensity-Matched Analysis.

Background: With transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) now extending to lower-risk and younger patients, optimizing procedural and hemodynamic outcomes is critical. The Myval Octacor, a new balloon-expandable valve (BEV), was developed to improve outcomes by reducing paravalvular regurgitation (PVL), minimizing pacemaker implantation (PPI) rates, and enhancing hemodynamic performance. However, limited data are available comparing Myval Octacor to contemporary self-expanding supra-annular valves (SEVs) Evolut PRO/PRO+ and Acurate Neo2.

Chronotropic incompetence during exercise or pharmacological stress is associated with reduced survival in patients with chronic coronary syndromes.

Aims: Chronotropic incompetence (CI) is a biomarker of cardiac autonomic dysfunction. The aim of the study is to assess the risk stratification value of CI during exercise or pharmacological stress echocardiography in patients with chronic coronary syndromes.

Methods And Results: In a prospective, multicenter, international, observational study, we enrolled 13 445 patients with known or suspected chronic coronary syndromes who underwent stress echocardiography in 19 clinical sites from 10 countries using either exercise (n = 2594), dobutamine (n = 2440), or dipyridamole (n = 8411).

Benefit-risk of colchicine and spironolactone in acute myocardial infarction: a prespecified generalised pairwise comparisons analysis of the CLEAR trial.

Background: Composite outcomes in cardiovascular trials often group events of unequal clinical importance, and conventional analyses may obscure treatment trade-offs. Generalised pairwise comparisons (GPC), expressed as a win ratio (WR), allow for hierarchical ranking of events and incorporation of recurrent outcomes, providing a potentially more intuitive assessment of benefit-risk.

Methods: In a prespecified exploratory analysis of the 2×2 factorial, randomised CLEAR (Colchicine and Spironolactone in Patients with Myocardial Infarction) trial (7062 patients within 72 hours of acute myocardial infarction (MI) and percutaneous coronary intervention), we applied both time-to-first and recurrent-event GPC to reassess low-dose colchicine (0.

Alternate functions of physiological anticoagulants.

The anticoagulant proteins antithrombin (AT), protein C (PC), protein S (PS), and tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) are physiological regulators of the blood coagulation pathway and have complex roles in causing or modifying the severity of bleeding and clotting disorders. The anticoagulant activity, as well as alternative physiological functions, of these proteins also impact many other diseases beyond bleeding and clotting disorders. We searched PubMed for articles published between 2018 and early 2025 that pertained to alternative functions of these physiological anticoagulants in clinical disease and selected therapeutic applications in the following categories: cancer, cardiovascular disease, novel therapeutics, pregnancy health, inflammation and infection, blood-brain barrier protection, stroke, novel developments in thrombosis, and endothelial and platelet interactions.

Current Situation of Solid Organ Transplantation from HIV-Positive Donors to HIV-Positive Recipients in Europe. The Spanish Perspective.

Objectives: There is limited information on the use of organs from HIV-positive donors (HIV D+) for HIV-positive recipients (HIV R+) in Europe. In some countries the use of HIV D+ organs is prohibited by law. This study aimed to assess the attitudes of Spanish kidney and liver transplant (KT/LT) teams towards HIV D+/R+ KT/LT through a nationwide survey, and to evaluate the current situation across Europe regarding legislation and reported cases.

Embedded hardware-based adaptive filtering for noise reduction in bioimpedance data.

With the rise of wearable, affordable solutions using integrated circuits like the AD5933, noise reduction in bioimpedance data has become increasingly important. In this paper, we present an automated method for the realization of a digital filter for noise reduction in bioimpedance data. Unlike traditional methods that require manual tuning, our approach automatically adjusts the filter coefficients based on the characteristics of the incoming bioimpedance data - specifically by minimizing the smoothness difference between consecutive filtered data points.

Impact of health promotion strategies on HPV vaccination uptake: A descriptive epidemiological study (2019-2024).

Introduction/objectives: The effectiveness of vaccines depends not only on resource availability but also on broad public acceptance and the uptake of widely accessible vaccines. A vaccination campaign is a strategically coordinated initiative designed to enhance vaccine coverage within a specific population. This study evaluated the impact of health promotion strategies (HPS), including social marketing and education, on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake among adolescents aged 9-19 years in City of Novi Sad, Serbia (population ~300,000).

The structural basis of aldo-keto reductase 1C3 inhibition by 17α-picolyl and 17()-picolinylidene androstane derivatives.

Human aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) is a steroid modifying enzyme involved in cancer progression. Here, A-ring modified 17α-picolyl and 17()-picolinylidene androstane derivatives are shown to inhibit AKR1C3 activity . None of the androstane derivatives have off-target affinity for the androgen receptor, based on a fluorescence assay in yeast cells.

Investigating the Chemical-Biological Link in Extracts for the Discovery of Novel Raw Materials via and In Vitro Assays.

This study examined the impact of the extraction methods (70% ethanolic extraction, infusion) on the overall biological profile and concentration of phenolic compounds of . Infusion yielded significantly higher phenolics and flavonoids (75.73 ± 0.

Addressing wastewater challenges in the dairy industry: a focused case study.

This Research Paper addresses the hypothesis that wastewater characteristics in the dairy industry vary with product type and operational procedures, and that current treatment methods face limitations in managing such variability. The study examined raw and clean-in-place (CIP) wastewater from a Serbian dairy plant over three years. Physico-chemical and microbiological analyses included pH, protein, fat, carbohydrates, total solids, total microorganisms, , Enterobacteriaceae, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and dissolved oxygen (O).

Preliminary insights into fish movements beyond the massive Iron Gate dams on the Danube River using acoustic telemetry.

Upstream fish movement in the Danube River at the Iron Gate is blocked by the massive hydropower dams and ship locks, as shown by tracking six fish species (vimba bream Vimba vimba, common nase Chondrostoma nasus, barbel Barbus barbus, asp Leuciscus aspius, Pontic shad Alosa immaculata and common carp Cyprinus carpio). In the absence of effective fish passage systems, the current level of river connectivity is insufficient to support upstream movement and migration for this diverse, multispecies fish community. The tagged cyprinids displayed evidence of migratory behaviour.

Nationwide epidemiological study of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in Serbia.

Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a rare autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, mediated by antibodies against aquaporin 4 (AQP4-IgG) in 80 % of cases. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of NMOSD and incidence over a twelve-year study period (2013-2024), in Serbia.

Methods: This study comprises data from 146 NMOSD patients, diagnosed according to the NMOSD criteria 2015.

DECODE: An open-source cloud-based platform for the noninvasive management of peripheral artery disease.

Background And Objective: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a progressive vascular condition affecting >237 million individuals worldwide. Accurate diagnosis and patient-specific treatment planning are critical but are often hindered by limited access to advanced imaging tools and real-time analytical support. This study presents DECODE, an open-source, cloud-based platform that integrates artificial intelligence, interactive 3D visualization, and computational modeling to improve the noninvasive management of PAD.

Clinical care of family members of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Genetic family screening following the detection of a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant in a proband with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains one of the main applications of genetic testing. While cardiac screening is recommended for all first-degree relatives, the a priori risk among family members varies. Consequently, screening regimens should be tailored according to both genetic and clinical information at the individual and familial level.

Inter-limb asymmetries in professional male basketball and volleyball players: bilateral vs. unilateral jump comparison.

The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in inter-limb asymmetries between countermovement vertical jump (CMJ) and single-leg jump (SLJ) performed on an innovative portable force plate system. Seventy professional athletes competing in top-tier international leagues (e.g.