Mioljub RISTIĆ Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina Futoška 121, 21000 Novi Sad Serbia mioljub.ristic@mf.uns.ac.rs SUMMARY Introduction/Objective Scabies is a major dermatological and a public health concern worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the trend of scabies, the age-specific incidence and seasonality of scabies in Vojvodina Province, Serbia. Methods We investigated the epidemiological characteristics of scabies in Vojvodina (northern region of Serbia). We carried out a descriptive study over a 10-year period (from 2006 to 2015) and covered 21,996 patients. Results The average incidence rate of scabies was 113.9/100,000 inhabitants with the evident increasing trend among all age groups, and especially among patients 15–19 years old. The highest incidence rate (323.9/100,000 inhabitants) was registered among children younger than 14 years. Most cases of scabies were registered during the cold months of the year, with peak activity throughout December (14.4/100,000; 95% CI: 12.2–16.6). Conclusion A high frequency and increasing trend of scabies in Vojvodina indicates that more attention should be paid to this problem.

Background/Aim. Q fever occurs worldwide and can be found in humans as well as in domestic mammals. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological characteristics of Q fever and evaluate correlation between the Q fever occurrence and weather conditions. Methods. We conducted a descriptive epidemiological study using data of the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, Scientific Veterinary Institute, Novi Sad, and the Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia, from 2006 to 2015. Results. Out of 272 human Q fever cases, 114 (41.9%) patients were aged between 20 and 39 years. Between January and May, a total of 193 (71.0%) cases of disease were registered. In the Central Banat and South Banat, a strong positive correlation between an increase in Q fever detection and an increase of average wind speed (ρ= 0.69719 and ρ=0.62303, respectively) was observed, while a strong negative correlation was determined between the average rainfall with the number of Q fever cases in the Central Banat, the South Banat and Srem district (ρ = -0.78033, ρ = -0.70675 and ρ = -0.70431, respectively). During a 10-year period, a strong positive correlation was found between the human Q fever cases compared to the number of cattle and sheep Q cases in the Srem district (r = 0.7989 and r = 0.7966, respectively). Direct contact with domestic animals was the most frequent route of Q fever transmission in Vojvodina. Conclusion. The timely sharing of information between the animal and human health sectors as well as between neighbouring countries is crucial for an appropriate and an early outbreak response, especially during windy and dry months of the year. Additionally, it is essential that people who are exposed to a risk of infection must be permanently educated about reducing the risk of transmission of infection.

Abstract Amorphous powders of iron doped 3:2 mullite (3Al 2 O 3 ⋅2SiO 2 ) were prepared by sol–gel combustion process using ethanol-water solutions of Al(III) nitrate, Fe(III) nitrate, TEOS and urea. Compositions up to 15 wt% of Fe 2 O 3 were investigated. After combustion and heat treatment at 800 °C for 4 h, XRD analysis confirmed that the powders were amorphous. This is in agreement with the thermodynamic predictions that direct formation of mullite has not occurred during the aluminum nitrate – urea combustion reaction. XRD patterns of uniaxially pressed and sintered pellets at 1550 °C for 4 h revealed the crystal structure of orthorhombic mullite. The lattice parameters and unit cell volume increases as the mullite solid solutions were enriched by iron. The TGA/DSC analysis showed the reducing of crystallization temperature of iron doped mullites with increasing of iron content in reaction mixtures. The mullitization reaction is two-step process including formation of transient spinel phase below 1000 °C and mullite crystallization at temperatures about 1200 °C. The SEM micrographs of the sintered samples reveal elongated mullite grains with grain length up to 40 μm. Increasing of the iron content in the reaction mixture enhances the grain size and the grains become elongated and better packed increasing the density of sintered samples.