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Introduction: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF type 1) is an autosomal dominant disease with typical clinical manifestations, such as skin lesions, Lisch nodules, optic pathway gliomas, and neurofibromas, caused by the mutation of the NF1 gene. Visual evoked potentials (VEP) present a measure of the electrophysiological response of visual cortex to a visual stimulus. The role of VEP in the pathophysiology of NF type 1 is very complex and requires additional research. The Aim: We examined the differences between NF type 1 patients with normal and altered VEP and analyzed the correlation between the prolongation of P100 latency and disease severity. Materials and Methods: Two groups were formed: a control group and a study group with NF type 1 patients. Based on the control group analysis, a threshold value for a normal VEP finding of 116 ms was obtained, and it was used to divide the study group into subgroups with normal and altered VEP. We proceeded with examining the differences in clinical manifestations of the disease between the subgroups, after which we checked if there is a correlation between the prolongation of the P100 latency and the severity of the clinical picture according to the Riccardi scale. Statistical analysis was performed using the Pearson chi-square test and the Spearman correlation test in the program SPSS 28.0, with levels of statistical significance p = 0.05 and p = 0.001. Results: In the group with the abnormal VEP we found a statistically significant more frequent occurrence of optic tract glioma (p = 0.008), tumors (p = 0.032), epilepsy (p = 0.043), and cognitive disorders (p = 0.028), while the other clinical signs had an equal prevalence in both groups. A moderately strong correlation (rs = 0.665) was observed between the prolongation of P100 latency and the severity of the clinical picture. Conclusion: Our results showed the important role of VEP in the description of clinical phenotypes of NF type 1. The authors of the study propose VEP to be included in the diagnostic algorithms designed for patients with NF type 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent findings have suggested that iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have some exceptional chemical characteristics which make them useful in both experimental physiology and cell biology research. These nanoparticles might be applied as drug delivery systems for anti-cancer and other medications. Also, IONPs might be a valuable part of many novel bioassays in various fundamental medical fields. In recent years, several studies have indicated that IONPs may have certain cytotoxic and genotoxic potential in living systems. During in vitro conditions, IONPs might induce generation of reactive oxygen species and cause oxidative stress in some cell populations. The toxicity of IONPs is not yet fully understood, and additional research is needed to confirm if IONPs have detrimental effects on human health. This short article focuses on the recent developments and trends in the fields of nanomedicine and nanobiology regarding iron oxide nanomaterials and their application in fundamental medical disciplines such as experimental physiology. We discuss our previously published works on structural effects of IONPs and other metallic nanoparticles on cell nucleus in in vitro conditions. We also describe our recent findings regarding the impact of IONPs on certain biophysical properties of subcellular components.

Objective: The close relationship between energy metabolism, nutritional state, and reproductive physiology suggests that nutritional and metabolic disorders can disrupt normal reproductive function and fertility. Considering the importance of leptin and ghrelin effects in regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, the objective of this study was to investigate the influence of obesity and centrally applied ghrelin on immunohistochemical appearance and quantitative morphology of the pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) producing cells in adult male rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, animals were given two different diets: normal-fat (NF) and high-fat (HF), for 4 weeks, corresponding to normal and positive energy balance (n=2×14), respectively. Each group was subsequently divided into two subgroups (n=7) receiving intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of either ghrelin [G, 1 μg/5 μL phosphate buffered saline (PBS)] or vehicle (5 μL PBS, control group) every 24 hours for five consecutive days. Results: Morphometric analyses showed that in HF control group, the percentage of FSH cells per unit volume of total pituitary gland tissue (in μm3), i.e. volume density (Vvc), was increased (P

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Serbian versions of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) and the Study Burnout Inventory (SBI) among fifth-year medical students at 5 universities in Serbia.Material and Methods: The study included 573 fifthyear medical students at 5 universities in Serbia. The research instrument consisted of SBI and CBI. The reliability of these instruments was assessed using an internal consistency measure (Cronbach's α), an intra-class coefficient (ICC) and factor analysis.Results: Cronbach's α for SBI was 0.83, including for exhaustion 0.73, for cynicism 0.70, and for inadequacy 0.48. The test-retest reliability (ICC) was 0.75. Cronbach's α for personal burnout on CBI was 0.89, for the faculty-related burnout 0.86, and for the faculty-members-related burnout 0.92. Cronbach's α for CBI was 0.93. The factor analysis for SBI showed 2 factors and for CBI 3 factors.Conclusions: This study revealed that the Serbian versions of both SBI and CBI could be used for the assessment of burnout in this population. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(6):737-45. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene is a novel advanced material with numerous potential applications in fundamental and clinical medicine. Graphene compounds can be successfully used as an integral part of drug delivery systems for treatment of various diseases. Graphene-based controlled drug release in target tissues may particularly be useful in designing new cancer therapy strategies. This material might also be used for gene transfection and delivery, as a basis for future gene therapy. Finally, some graphene compounds can be used for design of probes for imaging and detection of physiological and pathological changes on a cellular level. Before any of these approaches and strategies can be successfully applied in clinical medicine, potential cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of graphene needs to be disproven. This concise review is focused on recent research on graphene in experimental physiology, pharmacology and related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Certain lifestyle characteristics, such as dietary patterns, physical activity, and maintenance of recommended body weight, low-risk alcohol consumption and non-smoking are associated with the lower likelihood for the development of chronic-non communicable disease in the general population. These lifestyles are called health promoting behaviors (HPBs). We aimed to examine the prevalence of the HPBs among the women of reproductive age in Serbia and the factors associated with the compliance with four or more of these behaviors., Methods: The study was the secondary analysis of the data from the National Health survey in Serbia from 2019 that examined social, health status, mental health (using PHQ-8) and lifestyle characteristics of the general population in Serbia., Results: The prevalence of compliance with four or more HPBs was 22%. Among the HPBs the most frequent was a non-risky alcohol consumption reported by 2585 participants (99.2%), followed by normal weight (2018-69.2%) and non-smoking (1469-69%), daily fruit and vegetables intake (969-33.2%) and sufficient aerobic PA (216-7.9%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis with four or more HPBs as an outcome variable showed that the association of compliance with four or more HPBs with tertiary education (OR 1.91, 95% CI: 1.32-2.76) use of prescription medications (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.44-0.87) and score on PHQ-8 (OR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.79-0.98)., Conclusion: There is a need for deeper promotion of health-related behaviors among all educational and vocational groups, including health promotion activities at the primary health care level, which is available to the entire population., (Copyright© 2024 Todorovic et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Competing Interests: Conflict of interest Authors declare no conflict of interest. This study was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (Grant No. III 41004, Contract No. 175042).