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Šovljanski O, Ranitović A, Tomić A, Ćetković N, Miljković A, Saveljić A, Cvetković D. Synergistic Strategies of Heat and Peroxyacetic Acid Disinfection Treatments for Salmonella Control. Pathogens 2023; 12:1336. [PMID: 38003799 PMCID: PMC10674339 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12111336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The food industry has recognized a pressing need for highly effective disinfection protocols to decrease the risk of pathogen emergence and proliferation in food products. The integration of antimicrobial treatments in food production has occurred as a potential strategy to attain food items of superior quality with respect to microbiological safety and sensory attributes. This study aims to investigate the individual and synergistic effects of heat and peroxyacetic acid on the inactivation of bacterial cells, considering various contact times and environmental conditions. Four Salmonella serotypes, isolated from industrial meat production surfaces, were employed as model organisms. By systematically assessing the impacts of individual factors and synergistic outcomes, the effectiveness of bacterial cell inactivation and the efficiency of heat and peroxyacetic acid could be predicted. To better approximate real-world food processing conditions, this study also incorporated a bovine albumin-rich condition as a simulation of the presence of organic loads in processing steps. The findings revealed the essential need for a synergistic interplay of investigated parameters with the following optimized values: 1.5% concentration of peroxyacetic acid, temperature range of 60-65 °C, and contact time of 3 min for the complete effect regardless of the degree of contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olja Šovljanski
- Faculty of Technology Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (A.R.); (A.T.); (A.S.); (D.C.)
| | - Aleksandra Ranitović
- Faculty of Technology Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (A.R.); (A.T.); (A.S.); (D.C.)
| | - Ana Tomić
- Faculty of Technology Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (A.R.); (A.T.); (A.S.); (D.C.)
| | - Nenad Ćetković
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (N.Ć.); (A.M.)
| | - Ana Miljković
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (N.Ć.); (A.M.)
| | - Anja Saveljić
- Faculty of Technology Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (A.R.); (A.T.); (A.S.); (D.C.)
| | - Dragoljub Cvetković
- Faculty of Technology Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (A.R.); (A.T.); (A.S.); (D.C.)
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Mihajlović A, Ivanov D, Tapavički B, Marković M, Vukas D, Miljković A, Bajić D, Semnic I, Bogdan M, Karaba Jakovljević D, Nikolić S, Slavić D, Lendak D. Prognostic Value of Routine Biomarkers in the Early Stage of COVID-19. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:2137. [PMID: 37570378 PMCID: PMC10418955 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11152137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Various biomarkers like certain complete blood cell count parameters and the derived ratios including neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio are commonly used to evaluate disease severity. Our study aimed to establish if baseline levels of complete blood cell count-derived biomarkers and CRP, measured before any treatment which can interfere with their values, could serve as a predictor of development of pneumonia and the need for hospitalization requiring oxygen therapy. We retrospectively analyzed the laboratory data of 200 consecutive patients without comorbidities, who denied usage of medications prior to blood analysis and visited a COVID-19 ambulance between October and December 2021. Multivariate regression analysis extracted older age, elevated CRP and lower eosinophil count as significant independent predictors of pneumonia (p = 0.003, p = 0.000, p = 0.046, respectively). Independent predictors of hospitalization were higher CRP (p = 0.000) and lower platelet count (p = 0.005). There was no significant difference in the neutrophil-lymphocyte and platelet-lymphocyte ratios between examined groups. Individual biomarkers such as platelet and eosinophil count might be better in predicting the severity of COVID-19 than the neutrophil-lymphocyte and platelet-lymphocyte ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Mihajlović
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - David Ivanov
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Borislav Tapavički
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Milica Marković
- Health Centre Novi Sad, Bulevar Cara Lazara 75, 21102 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Dragana Vukas
- Health Centre Novi Sad, Bulevar Cara Lazara 75, 21102 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Ana Miljković
- Health Centre Novi Sad, Bulevar Cara Lazara 75, 21102 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Department of General Medicine and Geriatrics, Faculty of Medicine Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Dejana Bajić
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Isidora Semnic
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Clinic of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, University Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Hajduk Veljkova 1, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Maja Bogdan
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina, Put Dr Goldmana Street 4, 21204 Sremska Kamenica, Serbia
| | - Dea Karaba Jakovljević
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Stanislava Nikolić
- Department of Pathophysiology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Center of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Hajduk Veljkova 1, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Danijel Slavić
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Dajana Lendak
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Clinic for Infectious Diseases, University Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Hajduk Veljkova 1, 21137 Novi Sad, Serbia
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Aćimović M, Stanković Jeremić J, Miljković A, Rat M, Lončar B. Screening of Volatile Compounds, Traditional and Modern Phytotherapy Approaches of Selected Non-Aromatic Medicinal Plants ( Lamiaceae, Lamioideae) from Rtanj Mountain, Eastern Serbia. Molecules 2023; 28:4611. [PMID: 37375165 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28124611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Ironwort (Sideritis montana L.), mountain germander (Teucrium montanum L.), wall germander (Teucrium chamaedrys L.), and horehound (Marrubium peregrinum L.) are species widely distributed across Europe and are also found in North Africa and West Asia. Because of their wide distribution they express significant chemical diversity. For generations, these plants have been used as medical herbs for treating different aliments. The aim of this paper is to analyze volatile compounds of four selected species that belong to the subfamily Lamioideae, family Lamiaceae, and inspect scientifically proven biological activities and potential uses in modern phytotherapy in relation to traditional medicine. Therefore, in this research, we analyze the volatile compounds from this plants, obtained in laboratory by a Clevenger-type apparatus, followed by liquid-liquid extraction with hexane as the solvent. The identification of volatile compounds is conducted by GC-FID and GC-MS. Although these plants are poor in essential oil, the most abundant class of volatile components are mainly sesquiterpenes: germacrene D (22.6%) in ironwort, 7-epi-trans-sesquisabinene hydrate (15.8%) in mountain germander, germacrene D (31.8%) and trans-caryophyllene (19.7%) in wall germander, and trans-caryophyllene (32.4%) and trans-thujone (25.1%) in horehound. Furthermore, many studies show that, in addition to the essential oil, these plants contain phenols, flavonoids, diterpenes and diterpenoids, iridoids and their glycosides, coumarins, terpenes, and sterols, among other active compounds, which affect biological activities. The other goal of this study is to review the literature that describes the traditional use of these plants in folk medicine in regions where they grow spontaneously and compare them with scientifically confirmed activities. Therefore, a bibliographic search is conducted on Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar to gather information related to the topic and recommend potential applications in modern phytotherapy. In conclusion, we can say that selected plants could be used as natural agents for promoting health, as a source of raw material in the food industry, and as supplements, as well as in the pharmaceutical industry for developing plant-based remedies for prevention and treatment of many diseases, especially cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milica Aćimović
- Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops Novi Sad-IFVCNS, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Jovana Stanković Jeremić
- Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy-ICTM, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Njegoševa 12, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ana Miljković
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Milica Rat
- Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Biljana Lončar
- Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar Cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
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Aćimović M, Šovljanski O, Šeregelj V, Pezo L, Zheljazkov VD, Ljujić J, Tomić A, Ćetković G, Čanadanović-Brunet J, Miljković A, Vujisić L. Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Activity of Dracocephalum moldavica L. Essential Oil and Hydrolate. Plants (Basel) 2022; 11:plants11070941. [PMID: 35406925 PMCID: PMC9002726 DOI: 10.3390/plants11070941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Steam distillation was used for the isolation of Dracocephalum moldavica L. (Moldavian dragonhead) essential oil (DMEO). This aromatic herbaceous plant is widespread across the Northern Hemisphere regions and has been utilized in health-improving studies and applications. In addition to the DMEO, the hydrolate (DMH), a byproduct of the distillation process, was also collected. The DMEO and DMH were analyzed and compared in terms of their chemical composition, as well as their in vitro biological activities. The main component in DMEO was geranyl acetate, while geranial was dominant in DMH. The DMEO demonstrated better antioxidant and antimicrobial activities compared with the DMH against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes, which represent sources of food-borne illness at the global level. The DMEO and DMH show promise as antioxidant and antimicrobial additives to various products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milica Aćimović
- Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops Novi Sad, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Correspondence:
| | - Olja Šovljanski
- Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (O.Š.); (V.Š.); (A.T.); (G.Ć.); (J.Č.-B.)
| | - Vanja Šeregelj
- Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (O.Š.); (V.Š.); (A.T.); (G.Ć.); (J.Č.-B.)
| | - Lato Pezo
- Institute of General and Physical Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
| | - Valtcho D. Zheljazkov
- College of Agricultural Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA;
| | - Jovana Ljujić
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12-16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (J.L.); (L.V.)
| | - Ana Tomić
- Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (O.Š.); (V.Š.); (A.T.); (G.Ć.); (J.Č.-B.)
| | - Gordana Ćetković
- Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (O.Š.); (V.Š.); (A.T.); (G.Ć.); (J.Č.-B.)
| | - Jasna Čanadanović-Brunet
- Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (O.Š.); (V.Š.); (A.T.); (G.Ć.); (J.Č.-B.)
| | - Ana Miljković
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia;
| | - Ljubodrag Vujisić
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12-16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (J.L.); (L.V.)
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Miljković A, Pribisalić A, Gelemanović A, Lasić D, Hayward C, Polašek O, Kolčić I. The association of dispositional optimism and handedness with pressure pain: A cross-sectional study in the general population. Personality and Individual Differences 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Kadum S, Kopas-Vukašinović E, Miljković A. Attitudes of Students from the Faculty of Education on the Potentially Gifted Preschool Children. TEM Journal 2021. [DOI: 10.18421/tem104-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper presents the results of a research aimed at examining attitudes of the students from the faculties involved in teaching (pedagogical faculties), future educators in preschool institutions, about the potential giftedness of preschool children and working with them. The research was conducted on a sample of 174 students, future preschool educators. It was implemented at the Faculty of Educational Sciences of Pula (Croatia) and at the Faculty of Education of Jagodina (Serbia). The results of the research confirm: that future educators are sufficiently and qualitatively educated to work with gifted children; that future educators would like to have gifted individuals in their preschool groups and would love to work with gifted children; that the relationship between gifted and other kindergarten children is harmonious and gifted children should not be separated into special kindergarten groups; gifted children are a valuable resource for the community, they do not have any difficulties in socialization and they do not waste time in a regular kindergarten, and they are not bored with such kindergarten.
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Brčić L, Barić A, Gračan S, Brekalo M, Kaličanin D, Gunjača I, Torlak Lovrić V, Tokić S, Radman M, Škrabić V, Miljković A, Kolčić I, Štefanić M, Glavaš-Obrovac L, Lessel D, Polašek O, Zemunik T, Barbalić M, Punda A, Boraska Perica V. Genome-wide association analysis suggests novel loci for Hashimoto's thyroiditis. J Endocrinol Invest 2019; 42:567-576. [PMID: 30284222 DOI: 10.1007/s40618-018-0955-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is the most common form of autoimmune thyroid diseases. Current knowledge of HT genetics is limited, and not a single genome-wide association study (GWAS) focusing exclusively on HT has been performed to date. In order to decipher genetic determinants of HT, we performed the first GWAS followed by replication in a total of 1443 individuals from Croatia. METHODS We performed association analysis in a discovery cohort comprising 405 cases and 433 controls. We followed up 13 independent signals (P < 10-5) in 303 cases and 302 controls from two replication cohorts and then meta-analyzed results across discovery and replication datasets. RESULTS We identified three variants suggestively associated with HT: rs12944194 located 206 kb from SDK2 (P = 1.8 × 10-6), rs75201096 inside GNA14 (P = 2.41 × 10-5) and rs791903 inside IP6K3 (P = 3.16 × 10-5). Genetic risk score (GRS), calculated using risk alleles of these loci, accounted for 4.82% of the total HT variance, and individuals from the top GRS quartile had 2.76 times higher odds for HT than individuals from the lowest GRS quartile. CONCLUSIONS Although discovered loci are implicated with susceptibility to HT for the first time, genomic regions harboring these loci exhibit good biological candidacy due to involvement in the regulation of the thyroid function and autoimmunity. Additionally, we observe genetic overlap between HT and several related traits, such as hypothyroidism, Graves' disease and TPOAb. Our study adds a new knowledge of underlying HT genetics and sets a firm basis for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Brčić
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - A Barić
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia
| | - S Gračan
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia
| | - M Brekalo
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia
| | - D Kaličanin
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - I Gunjača
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - V Torlak Lovrić
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia
| | - S Tokić
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
| | - M Radman
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia
| | - V Škrabić
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia
| | - A Miljković
- Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Split, Split, Croatia
| | - I Kolčić
- Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Split, Split, Croatia
| | - M Štefanić
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
| | - L Glavaš-Obrovac
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
| | - D Lessel
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - O Polašek
- Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Split, Split, Croatia
| | - T Zemunik
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - M Barbalić
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - A Punda
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia
| | - V Boraska Perica
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia.
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Relja A, Miljković A, Gelemanović A, Bošković M, Hayward C, Polašek O, Kolčić I. Nut Consumption and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Mediterranean Population. Nutrients 2017; 9:E1296. [PMID: 29182576 PMCID: PMC5748747 DOI: 10.3390/nu9121296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Revised: 11/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuts are often considered beneficial for health, yet few studies have examined determinants of their intake and the associations between nut consumption and various cardiovascular disease risk factors. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with nut intake in a Mediterranean population, in Croatia, and to investigate the association of nut intake and various cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS Subjects from the Island of Vis, Island of Korčula and the City of Split were included in this cross-sectional study (n = 4416 in total; 4011 without known cardiovascular disease). Survey responses, medical records and clinically relevant measurements were utilized. Multivariate ordinal and logistic regression models were used in the analysis, adjusting for known confounding factors. RESULTS As low as 5% of all subjects reported daily, and 11% reported weekly, nut consumption. The characteristics associated with more frequent nut intake were female gender (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.39; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-1.62), highest level of education (1.42; 1.15-1.76) and material status (1.58; 1.29-1.93), smoking abstinence (1.21; 1.04-1.42 in never-smokers and 1.22; 1.02-1.46 in ex-smokers), Mediterranean diet adherence (1.87; 1.62-2.15), and absence of central obesity (1.29; 1.09-1.53), absence of diabetes (1.30; 1.02-1.66) and metabolic syndrome (1.17; 1.01-1.36). Subjects who consumed nuts had more favorable waist-to-height (overall p = 0.036) and waist-to-hip ratios (0.033), lesser odds of elevated fibrinogen (p < 0.001 in both weekly and monthly nut consumers) and reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (p = 0.026), compared to non-consumers. CONCLUSIONS It appears that frequent nut consumption is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle and better socioeconomic status. A beneficial association of nut intake with cardiovascular risk factors was confirmed in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajka Relja
- School of Medicine, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia.
| | - Ana Miljković
- School of Medicine, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia.
| | | | - Maria Bošković
- Department of Biology, University of Zagreb Faculty of Science, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Caroline Hayward
- Institute of Genetics & Molecular Medicine, MRC Human Genetics Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UK.
| | - Ozren Polašek
- School of Medicine, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia.
| | - Ivana Kolčić
- School of Medicine, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia.
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Kolčić I, Relja A, Gelemanović A, Miljković A, Boban K, Hayward C, Rudan I, Polašek O. Mediterranean diet in the southern Croatia - does it still exist? Croat Med J 2017; 57:415-424. [PMID: 27815932 PMCID: PMC5141459 DOI: 10.3325/cmj.2016.57.415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim To assess the adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the population of Dalmatia in southern Croatia. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed within the 10 001 Dalmatians cohort, encompassing 2768 participants from Korčula and Vis islands and the City of Split, who were recruited during 2011-2014. Using the data obtained from food frequency questionnaire we calculated the Mediterranean Diet Serving Score (MDSS). Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the characteristics associated with the adherence to the Mediterranean diet, with age, sex, place of residence, education attainment, smoking, and physical activity as covariates. Results The median MDSS score was 11 out of 24 points (interquartile range 8-13), with the highest score recorded on the island of Vis. Participants reported a dietary pattern that had high compliance with the Mediterranean diet guidelines for consumption of cereals (87% met the criteria), potatoes (73%), olive oil (69%), and fish (61%), moderate for consumption of fruit (54%) and vegetables (31%), and low for consumption of nuts (6%). Overall, only 23% of the participants were classified as being adherent to the Mediterranean diet, with a particularly low percentage among younger participants (12%) compared to the older ones (34%). Men were less likely to show good adherence (odds ratio 0.52, 95% confidence interval 0.42-0.65). Conclusion This study revealed rather poor compliance with the current recommendations on the Mediterranean diet composition in the population of Dalmatia. Public health intervention is especially needed in younger age groups and in men, who show the greatest departure from traditional Mediterranean diet and lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Kolčić
- Ivana Kolčić, Medical School, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000 Split, Croatia,
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Miljković A, Stipčić A, Braš M, Dorđević V, Brajković L, Hayward C, Pavić A, Kolčić I, Polašek O. Is experimentally induced pain associated with socioeconomic status? Do poor people hurt more? Med Sci Monit 2014; 20:1232-8. [PMID: 25029965 PMCID: PMC4111652 DOI: 10.12659/msm.890714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The association of pain and socioeconomic status is widely reported, yet much less clearly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of experimentally induced pain threshold and tolerance with socioeconomic status. Material/Methods The study sample consisted of 319 adult subjects from the population of the island of Vis, Croatia, which was previously shown to have a high level of social homogeneity. A manual dolorimeter was used to measure mechanical pressure pain threshold (least stimulus intensity) and pain tolerance (maximum tolerance stimulus intensity) on both hands. Pain tolerance interval was defined as the difference between pain tolerance and threshold. Years of schooling and material status were used as socioeconomic estimates. Results Both of the socioeconomic estimates were significantly correlated with pain threshold, tolerance, and tolerance interval (P<0.001). The mixed modeling analysis, controlled for the effects of age, gender, and 4 psychological variables, indicated that education was not a significant predictor in any of the 3 models. However, lower material status was significantly associated with lower pain tolerance (P=0.038) and narrower pain tolerance interval (P=0.032), but not with pain threshold (P=0.506). The overall percentages of explained variance were lower in the tolerance interval model (20.2%) than in pain tolerance (23.1%) and threshold (33.1%), suggesting the increasing share of other confounding variables in pain tolerance and even more so in tolerance interval model. Conclusions These results suggest a significant association between experimentally induced pain tolerance and tolerance interval with material status, suggesting that poor people indeed do hurt more.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ana Stipčić
- University Department for Health Care Studies, University of Split, Split, Croatia
| | - Marijana Braš
- Centre for Palliative Medicine, Medical Ethics and Communication Skills, Medical School, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Veljko Dorđević
- Centre for Palliative Medicine, Medical Ethics and Communication Skills, Medical School, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lovorka Brajković
- Centre for Palliative Medicine, Medical Ethics and Communication Skills, Medical School, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Caroline Hayward
- Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Arsen Pavić
- Surgery Clinic, Clinical Hospital Centre Split, Split, Croatia
| | - Ivana Kolčić
- Medical School, University of Split, Split, Croatia
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Degoricija M, Situm M, Korać J, Miljković A, Matić K, Paradžik M, Marinović Terzić I, Jerončić A, Tomić S, Terzić J. High NF-κB and STAT3 activity in human urothelial carcinoma: a pilot study. World J Urol 2014; 32:1469-75. [PMID: 24448750 DOI: 10.1007/s00345-014-1237-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2013] [Accepted: 01/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Given that the tumor-promoting inflammation has been previously established in squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder but its contribution to development of urothelial carcinoma (UC) still remains elusive, our aim was to study changes in expression and activity of inflammation-mediating NF-κB and STAT3 transcription factors in human urothelial bladder carcinoma as well as expression of their target genes cyclin D1, VEGFA and TGFβ1. METHODS Gene expression of STAT3, NF-κB, TGFβ1, cyclin D1 and VEGFA was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in both tumor and healthy bladder tissue from 36 patients with UC of the bladder. Activation of STAT3 and NF-κB was assessed with immunohistochemistry and immunoblot. RESULTS Urothelial bladder carcinoma displayed elevated expression as well as activation of NF-κB (P = 5.38e-10) and STAT3 (P = 0.002) transcription factors. Furthermore, elevated level of expression was observed for cyclin D1, VEGFA and TGFβ1 (P = 9.71e-09, P = 9.71e-09, P = 5.38e-10). Preliminary statistical analysis indicated that the level of upregulation of STAT3 or NF-κB was probably not dependent upon the grade (P = 0.984 and 0.803, respectively) and invasiveness of the tumor (0.399 and 0.949), nor to the gender (0.780 and 0.536) and age (0.660 and 0.816) of the patients. CONCLUSIONS NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathways, as main inflammatory mediators, are found to be activated in urothelial bladder carcinoma indicating that chronic inflammatory processes are accompanying development of this tumor type. Future studies will have to determine possible causative role of inflammatory processes in development of urothelial bladder carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Degoricija
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia
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Miljković A, Pehlić M, Budimir D, Gunjača G, Mudnić I, Pavić A, Jerončić I, Kolčić I, Boban M, Hayward C, Polašek O. Can genetics aggravate the health of isolated and remote populations? The case of gout, hyperuricaemia and osteoarthritis in Dalmatia. Rural Remote Health 2013; 13:2153. [PMID: 23534916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to investigate whether genetics may be considered an additional risk factor for health in isolated and remote populations, compared with their populations of origin. In this study, two remote island population samples from Croatia (from the islands of Vis and the Korcula) were compared with mainland controls from the coastal city of Split. The analyses focused on gout, hyperuricaemia and osteoarthritis, as examples of complex, multifactorial diseases. METHODS A total of 3006 examinees from all three sites in Dalmatia, Croatia were included in the descriptive part of the study, within a large-scale project of 10,001 Dalmatians. Additionally, a subset of 2428 subjects was genotyped and information on three genomic loci was used in this study. All three loci belong to SLC2A9 gene, considered to have a major role in the regulation of serum uric acid concentration (rs6449213, rs1014290 and rs737267). RESULTS There was a much a higher prevalence of gout in the isolated populations compared with the mainland sample (3.3% in Vis, 2.2% in Korcula and 1.7% in Split, after age standardization). Furthermore, standardized prevalence of hyperuricaemia (defined as serum uric acid ≥403 mmol/L) was 9.9% in Vis, 5.6% in Korcula and 6.1% in Split. Analysis of the allele frequencies for the three loci of SLC2A9 suggested that in all three instances the prevalence of deleterious genotypes was highest in Vis, followed by Korcula, which had higher or comparable prevalence to the city of Split. Multivariate analysis, adjusted for the main confounder effects indicated that those on the island of Vis, which has the higher degree of isolation, had significantly higher odds ratio for both hyperuricaemia (odds ratio 1.90 95% confidence intervals [1.36-2.64]) and osteoarthritis, but not gout (3.37 [2.14-5.32]). The difference between Split and Korcula included only greater odds for osteoarthritis (1.92 [1.20-3.06]). CONCLUSIONS Isolated and remote populations that maintain a sufficient level of genetic isolation may suffer not only from consequences of geographic and social isolation, but their population genetic structure may also further contribute to poorer health status and outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Miljković
- Medical School, University of Split, Split, Croatia.
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Miljković A, Kolčić I, Braš M, Hayward C, Polašek O. Heritability analysis suggests comparable genetic component of mechanical pain threshold and tolerance. Pain Med 2012; 13:1248-9. [PMID: 22681047 DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2012.01410.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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