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Introduction: Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin with steroid structure. A great number of epidemiological studies suggest an increasing presence of hypovitaminosis of vitamin D among humans. Vitamin D deficiency itself is defined by serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OH-D3) below 20 ng/mL. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 among students of the Faculty of Medicine Osijek and to assess correlation with body mass index (BMI). Materials and methods: Concentration of 25-OH-D3 were measured by LC/MS-MS procedure on Shimadzu LCMS 8050, using RECIPE kit for serum levels of 25-OH-D3 and 25-OH-D2. BMI and percentage of body fat were measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. In order to determine the normality of the distribution of numerical data, the D'Agostino - Pearson test was performed. The Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated. The significance level is set to alfa = 0.05. 60 respondents participated in the research. Of these, 16 are men (26, 7%) and 44 are women (73, 3%). Results: Mean value for serum levels of 25-OH-D3 ws 11.37 ng/mL (SD = 1.60). D'Agostino-Pearson test showed a significant deviation from the normal distribution for BMI (p = 2.38 * 10 on 7, p < a) and body fat percentage (p = 0.0259, p < a). By conducting a Spearman test, there was found no correlation between he percentage of body fat and the concentration of 25-OH-D3 (r, = 0.151, P = 0.249) and no correlation between BMI and 25-OH-D3 levels (r ; = 0.169, p = 0.196) Conclusion: Serum levels of 25-OH-D3 are below expected, therefore presenting a potential risk factor for development of various health conditions. No correlation of vitamin D to BMI was found.

INTRODUCTION Reduced production of estrogen during menopause is related to development of osteoporosis. Recent research shows it might also be connected to higher risk of degenerative diseases of central nervous system, and researchers believe estrogen has a neuroprotective effect. One of the most frequently used medicinal products for treatment of osteoporosis is alendronate, which passes the blood-brain barrier. Hop extract contains phytoestrogens, especially xanthohumol and 8-prenylnaringenin. Phytoestrogens are sometimes used to alleviate the symptoms of menopause. It is unclear if and how alendronate, phytoestrogens and their combination affect the cells involved in inflammation and neuroprotection in the brain. OBJECTIVES The objective was to examine the effect of alendronate, hop extract and their combination on the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), an astrocyte marker, in different regions of the brain of ovariectomized rats. MATERIALS & METHODS The study was performed on brain tissue of 50 female Wistar rats. Animals were divided into 5 groups: a control group (underwent sham operation), and 4 ovariectomized groups (untreated, treated with alendronate, hop extract or their combination). Expression of GFAP was evaluated using immunohistochemical staining and subsequent analysis with the help of ImageJ software package, which was used to determine astrocyte number and average surface. RESULTS In most of the examined brain areas, treatment with alendronate, hop extract or their combination affected astrocyte number or their average surface. Group treated with hop extract had significantly larger astrocyte number in periventricular nucleus, periventricular posterior nucleus and medial posteroventral amygdaloid nucleus. Average astrocyte surface was significantly larger in several examined areas of brain in hop extract group and in alendronate group. Groups receiving combination of alendronate and hop extract had average astrocyte surface comparable to control or untreated group in most of the examined areas. CONCLUSION Treatment with alendronate, hop extract or a combination of the two affect the modulation of inflammation and neuroplasticity of brain tissue by changing the number of astrocytes and their surface.

Cilj istraživanja: Ispitati utjecaj alendronata i ekstrakta hmelja, samostalno i u kombinaciji, na razvijanje upalnih procesa u tkivu mozga, morfologiju moždanog tkiva i izražaj alfa izoforme estrogenskog receptora u mozgu ovarijektomiranih ženki štakora. Nacrt studije: Studija je ustrojena kao randomizirani kontrolirani pokus u kojem su tkiva ovarijektomiranih ženki štakora tretiranih alendronatom i/ili ekstraktom hmelja uspoređivana s tkivom netretiranih ovarijektomiranih ženki štakora i zdravih netretiranih ženki štakora. Ispitanici i metode: U istraživanje su uključena tkiva mozgova 50 štakora koji su podijeljeni u 5 grupa, ovisno o tome jesu li ovarijektomirani ili ne i koju su terapiju primili (K, OVX, A, H, AH). Korišteno je histološko bojenje po Nisslu i Imunohistokemijski su na tkivu mozga prikazani slijedeći epitopi: ERα, IBA-1, GFAP i NeuN. Rezultati su analizirani računalnim programom ImageJ, te su statistički obrađeni programom Statistica. Rezultati: Tretmani alendronatom, ekstraktom hmelja ili njihovom kombinacijom imali su utjecaj na ekspresiju ERα u nekim područjima mozga, broja i aktivnost mikroglija stanica, aktiviranje proupalnih procesa astrocita, te na izgled i broj neurona u nekim regijama mozga. Zaključak: Tretman alendronatom, ekstraktom hmelja ili njihovom kombinacijom utječe na modulaciju upale i neuroplastičnosti moždanog tkiva.

Uvod: Dodavanje cinkovih (Zn) soli u fiksativ je uobičajeno kod fiksacije nekih posebnih tkiva (npr. bubreg), ali nije poznato kako bi utjecalo na druga tkiva, primjerice mozak i jetru. Cilj istraživanja: Kvantitativno i kvalitativno usporediti kvalitetu histološkog bojenja (jezgre, glikogena, lipida i željeza) uzoraka tkiva jetre i mozga, odnosno imunohistokemijskog bojenja mozga nakon perfuzijske ili imerzijske fiksacije s paraformaldehidom (PFA) ili PFA/Zn otopinom Nacrt studije: Studija je ustrojena kao istraživanje parova (tkivo životinja perfundiranih PFA fiksativom prema tkivu životinja perfundiranih s PFA/Zn fiksativom, zatim tkiva koja su bila fiksirana samo uranjanjem u fiksativ (imerzijski) prema tkivima koja su prvo perfundirana fiksativom, a zatim postfiksirana uranjanjem. Materijal i metode: U istraživanje je uključena tkiva jetre i mozga 15 štakora koji su podijeljeni u 5 grupa fiksiranih uranjanjem ili perfuzijom s/bez cinkovih soli. Primijenjena su histološka bojenja: hemalaun/eozin, Nissl, uljno crvena, toluidin, toluidin s dijastazom, toluidin s dijastazom i dodatnim odmašćivanjem, Perls-DAB. Imunohistokemijski su na tkivu mozga prikazani epitopi: NeuN, MAP2, IBA1, GT1b, GFAP i kolera toksin. Rezultati su analizirani računalnim programom Fiji te su statistički obrađeni. Rezultati: Perfuzija s dodatkom cinkovih soli doprinosi statistički značajno kvalitetnijoj cjelovitosti uzoraka. Statistički je značajno povezana fiksacija s dodatkom cinkovih soli i jače obojenje uzoraka standardnim histološkim bojenjima ukoliko cinkove soli ne utječu na kemijsku reakciju koja je podloga za određeno bojenje. Zaključak: U usporedbi sa rutinskom PFA fiksacijom, fiksacija uz dodatak cinkovih soli poboljšava kvalitetu osnovnih histoloških i imunohistokemijskih bojenja.