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Background/Aim. Phthalates are recognized as endocrine-disrupting compounds and are extensively present in a variety of everyday products. Chronic exposure to phthalates is suspected to be associated with a range of health disorders. The aim of the study was to examine the abundance of phthalate metabolites in the urine samples among adults in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia, and to determine the prevalence of phthalate metabolites in healthy individuals and those with metabolic disorders such as obesity and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods. For the study purpose, the first morning urine sample of 308 participants was screened for the presence of 10 phthalate metabolites: mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), mono-iso-allyl phthalate (MiAP), mono-n-allyl phthalate (MnAP), mono-cyclohexyl phthalate (MCHP), mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP), mono-n-octyl phthalate (MOP), mono-n-propyl phthalate (MPP) and mono-methyl phthalate (MMP). Results. At least one phthalate metabolite was detected in the first morning urine sample in 50.32% of the examined population. The most frequently detected phthalate metabolites were MEP and MEHP. Out of all phthalate-positive participants, 38.3% of them had one, 10.7% had two, while 1.3% of participants had three phthalate metabolites in the first morning urine sample. A significant difference (p < 0.05) between groups was observed on MEP and MMP frequency, while border-line significant difference (p < 0.1) between groups was observed on MEHP and MCHP frequency. Conclusion. In the Vojvodina region, both healthy adults and those with metabolic disorders such as obesity and newly diagnosed T2DM are predominantly exposed to di-ethyl phthalate and di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate since MEP and MEHP were the most frequently detected phthalate metabolites. Further re-search is required in order to provide more details of the phthalates influence on the adverse health effects.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of stress among international medical students and factors associated with higher levels of student's stress during the COVID-19 epidemic in Serbia. Material and methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted using a five-section online questionnaire during January, 2021 among international medical students attending the Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade, Studies in English in Serbia, using snowball sampling method. Results: A total of 52 international medical students with a mean age of 21.0 ± 2.2 years, 58% female, were enrolled. Stress level was rated higher than usual in 65% of students. The predictors of higher level of stress were: not being prepared for full online courses (p = 0.058), worry about own health (p = 0.04), worry about the health of loved ones (p = 0.058), concern about finances (p = 0.004) and exams/future study plans (p = 0.033), lack of energy (p = 0.012), strong emotions or mood swings (p = 0.004) and inability to get needed things from stores (p = 0.054). Fear or worry about the health of their loved ones, concern about money, as well as concern about exams or future study plans were independent predictors of the respondents' higher level of stress in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the level of stress among the international medical students in Serbia. A higher level of stress was associated with fear about health of loved ones, concern about finances and exams/future study plans.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate heavy metal(loid)s (Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, and As) in lung cancer patients in order to elucidate their role as lung cancer environmental risk factors. Sixty-three patients of both sexes with adenocarcinoma stage IIIB or IV were enrolled in this research. The heavy metal(loid) urine concentrations were measured using ICP-MS. Arsenic was quantified above 10 μg/L in 44.44% of the samples. Nickel urinary concentrations above the ToxGuide reference levels were found in 50.79% of the samples, while lead was quantified in 9.52% of the urine samples. The urinary chromium levels were above the mean ToxGuide levels in 41.27% of the patients and were significantly higher in men in comparison with women (p = 0.035). The chromium urinary concentrations were positively associated with the CRP serum levels (p = 0.037). Cadmium was quantified in 61.90% of the samples with levels significantly higher in females than in males (p = 0.023), which was associated with smoking habits. Mercury was measured above the limit of quantification in 63.49% of the samples and was not associated with amalgam dental fillings. However, the Hg urinary concentrations were correlated positively with the ALT (p = 0.02), AST (p < 0.001), and GGT (p < 0.001) serum levels. In 46.03% of the samples, the Mo concentrations were above 32 μg/L, the mean value for healthy adults according to the ToxGuide, and 9.52% of the patients had Mn levels higher than 8 μg/L, the reference value for healthy adults based on ToxGuide data. The obtained results are preliminary, and further studies are needed to have a deeper insight into metal(loid) exposure's association with lung cancer development, progression, and survival prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim. Plant polyphenols are well known to show antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, antiviral and antioxidative activity. The aim of this study was to investigate bio-active potential of Armoracia rusticana root juice and extracts: their polyphenol content, as well as in vitro antitumor activity and cell-death mechanism. Methods. Liquid-liquid extraction of polar and non-polar compounds was used and poly-phenolic compounds were identified and quantified by high performance liquid chomatography (HPLC) analysis. Anti-proliferative activity was examined in vitro on human cervix carcinoma (HeLa), breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7, MDA-MB-231), colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29), lung adenocarcinoma (A549), prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3), melanocyte carcinoma (Hs 294T), hepatocyte carcinoma (Hep G2), as well as rat hepatocyte carcinoma (H-4-II-E), and normal human fetal lung (MRC-5) cell line using sulforhodamine B assay. The mechanism of cell-death in cell line was determined using Cell Death Detection ELISAPLUS kit. Results. Dichloromethane extracts had the highest content of cate-chin, p-hydroxybenzoic, syringic and gallic acid (pulp, E1), and epicatechin (juice, E3). The results showed strong and non-selective antiproliferative activity of chloroform and di-chloromethane extracts and root juice – highest being to-wards liver, breast and lung tissue cells. IC50 values of ex-tracts and juice had low range of concentrations (IC50 = 3.49–26.5 μg/mL) and high range of dilutions (IC50 = 418–1,590). High and unfavorable potential of horseradish juice and chloroform juice extract (E4) to induce necrotic cell death was detected. Conclusion. Strong and non-selective in vitro antiproliferative activity of chloroform and dichloromethane extracts and root juice of horseradish was detected, with necrosis as a main mechanism of induced cell death. In order to utilize horseradish root bioactive potential further investigations that will pinpoint active components with more favourable apoptosis/necrosis inducing properties are needed.

A sedentary lifestyle associated with unregulated diets rich in high-calorie foods have contributed to the great prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) latterly, with up to 60% in the high-risk population and 25% in the general population. The absence of specific pharmacological strategies for this syndrome represents one of the major problems in the management of MASLD patients. Lifestyle interventions and adherence to a healthy diet are the main cornerstones of current therapies. The identification of nutraceuticals useful in the treatment of MASLD appears to be one of the most promising strategies for the development of new effective and safe treatments for this disease. The onion, one of the most widely studied foods in the field of nutraceuticals, serves as an inexhaustible reservoir of potent compounds with various beneficial effects. The following preliminary study analyzes, mediating in silico studies, the iteration of a library of typical onion compounds with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, liver receptors X α and β, as well as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors α and γ. In this study, for the first time promising smart molecules from the onion that could have a beneficial action in MASLD patients were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal variations of bisphenol A (BPA) were investigated in the Danube along the Novi Sad bank, Serbia using solid-phase extraction followed by gas chromatographic mass spectrometric method. The obtained results confirmed the presence of BPA above the limit of quantification (6 ng/L) in 22 out of 32 water samples at all eight sampling sites. Тhe BPA concentration varied from 1) for autumn, spring and summer. The high potential risk which is attributed to the elevated summer concentrations is probably the result of the increased human activates and weather conditions. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III46009]

In the recent time, considerable interest has grown concerning the presence of the emerging industrial chemicals, EmIC. They are contaminants that have possible pathway to enter to the environment and they are dominantly released by industrial and anthropogenic activities. EmIC are applied in different fields using as industrial chemicals (new and recently recognized), global organic contaminants (flame retardant chemicals), pharmaceuticals (for both human and animal uses), endocrine-modulating compounds, biological metabolites, personal care products, household chemicals, nanomaterial (energy storage products, lubricants), anticorrosive and agriculture chemicals and others that are applied to a wide variety of everyday items such as clothing, upholstery, electronics and automobile interiors. NORMAN (Network of reference laboratories for monitoring of emerging environmental pollutants) has established an open, dynamic, list of emerging substances and pollutants. EmIC have been recently detected in the environment due to their long-term presence, pseudo-persistence and increased use. Improvements in sophisticated analytical methods and time integrative passive sampling have enabled the identification and quantification of EmIC, in very low concentrations (ppb, ppt and lower), which likely have been present in all environmental mediums for decades. Passive technology is an innovative technique for the time-integrated measurement of emerging contaminants in water, sediment, soil and air. Passive samplers are simple handling cost-effective tool that could be used in environmental monitoring programmes. These devices are now being considered as a part of an emerging strategy for monitoring a range of emerging industrial chemicals and priority pollutants in the aquatic environment. EmIC are substances that are not included in the routine monitoring programmes and whose fate, behaviour and (eco)toxicological effects are still not well understood. Emerging pollutants have no regulatory standards based on peer-reviewed science. EmIC might jeopardize aquatic environment. The first screening analyses of emerging industrial and priority organic contaminants in the Danube surface water, in the vicinity of Novi Sad, have been done and approximately more than 140 compounds have been registered. The new sampling campaign, screening and target analyses are in progress. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III46009]

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are xenobiotics presented in a variety of everyday products that may disrupt the normal activity of hormones. Exposure to bisphenol A as EDC at trace and ultra-trace levels is associated with adverse health effects, and children are recognized as the most vulnerable group to EDCs exposure. In this review, a summary is presented of up-to-date sample preparation methods and instrumental techniques applied for the detection and quantification of bisphenol A and its structural analogues in various biological matrices. Biological matrices such as blood, cell-free blood products, urine, saliva, breast milk, cordial blood, amniotic and semen fluids, as well as sweat and hair, are very complex; therefore, the detection and later quantification of bisphenols at low levels present a real analytical challenge. The most popular analytical approaches include gas and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, and their enhanced reliability and sensitivity finally allow the separation and detection of bisphenols in biological samples, even as ultra-traces. Liquid/liquid extraction (LLE) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) are still the most common methods for their extraction from biological matrices. However, many modern and environmentally safe microextraction techniques are currently under development. The complexity of biological matrices and low concentrations of analytes are the main issues for the limited identification, as well as understanding the adverse health effects caused by chronical and ubiquitous exposure to bisphenols and its analogues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is concerned with the determination of the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of mixed micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate with one of five nonionic surfactants (Triton X-100, Tween 20, Tween 60, Tween 80 or Tween 85) from conductance measurements. Based on the calculated values of the β parameters we have noticed that SDS-nonionic surfactants mostly showed strong synergistic effect. It was found that nonionic surfactants with mainly longer and more hydrophobic tail show stronger interactions with hydrophobic part of SDS, thus expressing stronger synergism. In SDS-Tween 80 binary system the strongest synergistic effect was noticed. SDS-Tween 85 micellar system showed antagonistic effect, most probably because the presence of the double bond in its three hydrophobic tails (three C18 tails) makes it sterically rigid.

The aim of this study was to examine the possibility of fermented dairy beverage production by the application of kombucha cultivated on thyme tea in combination with a probiotic starter and to evaluate the quality of the new functional product. Fermented dairy beverages are produced from milk with 1.6% milk fat at three fermentation temperatures: 37°C, 40ºC and 43ºC.Chemical quality, rheological properties and products of added starter cultures metabolism were determined in the fermented dairy beverages after production and after10 days of storage. Produced fermented dairy beverages have reduced milk fat content and good textural characteristics. Besides the highly valuable milk components, they contain numerous compounds which have pronounced therapeutic properties. These products could be used as functional food in the diet of different populations for health improvement.

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