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Vitamin A is essential for the early development and normal functioning of the brain throughout life. A deficiency of vitamin A is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries, and subclinical deficiency is probably present worldwide. The main active molecule in vitamin A is retinoic acid, which is involved in vision, the immune system, skin health, olfaction and cognition (learning, memory, spatial functions, olfaction, etc.) through processes of neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Vitamin A is involved in the regulation of about one-sixth of the human genome. It has non-genomic actions in protein translation and paracrine actions. Retinal vitamin A aldehyde is crucial for day and night vision. The best-known manifestation of hypovitaminosis A is night blindness but in more severe cases, it causes blindness. In the hypothalamus, vitamin A, with information from the retina, acts in circadian and seasonal regulation. Increased retinoic acid levels in the blood are associated with increased risk of depression, and lower levels have been connected with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral ischemia, autistic spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. Higher doses and longer periods of treatment pose the threat of hypervitaminosis A. Vitamin A and its analogs are a promising new class of therapeutic agents in a wide spectrum of disorders, albeit with a narrow therapeutic window. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 175033 i br. 175022]

Lake Palić is a typical, shallow Pannonian plain lake, with thick sediment layers and high content of phosphorus and nitrogen. The thick layers are the result of accelerated eutrophication, and cause biodiversity loss and disruption of the ecosystem. Numerous methods can be used to overcome the problem of accelerated eutrophication, (sediment removal, phosphorus inactivation etc.). However, these methods have many deficiencies. Lately, using macrophytes as a way to resolve this problem is becoming more and more popular. The aim of this work was to examine the germination possibilities of white mustard (Sinapis alba L.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), oats (Avena sativa L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) on Lake Palić’s sediment, as a prescreening test for their suitability for further phytoremediation. The results show that plant species can germinate and grow in early stages in such substrates, so they can be recommended for sediment phytoremediation. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 31080]

Different types of interferon are widely used to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Results obtained in vitro suggest that interferon inhibits internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-mediated translation of the HCV genome. To elucidate the possible effect of the nucleotide sequence of IRES on therapy outcome, we compared HCV isolates from patients with sustained response and non-response to interferon/ribavirin combination therapy. In 56 analyzed HCV isolates, nucleotide changes appeared strictly in the stem-loop IIIb region, the stem part from 243 nt to 248 nt, and the polypyrimidine-II region. The natural sequence variability of IRES in isolates of genotype 3a was significantly higher than in isolates of genotype 1b (p < 0.05). The average number of nucleotide changes in genotype 3a correlated with response to therapy (p < 0.05).

The effects of steroids on galectin-1 (gal-1) were studied in HTR-8/SVneo cells by immunocytochemistry, cell-based ELISA, the MTT proliferation test and the Matrigel TM invasion test. Dexamethasone (DEX), progesterone (PRG), and mifepristone (RU486) were used. Gal-1 was modulated in a steroid- and dose-dependent manner by DEX, which mildly but significantly stimulated production at low concentrations (0.1-10 nM), and inhibited it at 100 nM, while the effects of PRG and RU486 were opposite. HTR-8/SVneo cell invasion of Matrigel was significantly decreased in the presence of DEX and lactose. The obtained data support the proposed regulatory role of steroids in trophoblast gal-1 production.