Abstract The cytotoxic activity of phenylboroxine acid was evaluated in vitro on mouse mammary adenocarcinoma 4T1, mouse squamous cell carcinoma SCCVII, hamster lung fibroblast V79 and mouse dermal fibroblasts L929 cell lines. The cytotoxic effects were dose dependent for all tested tumour and non-tumour cell lines. Under in vivo conditions, three application routes of phenylboronic acid were studied: intra-peritoneal (i.p.), intra-tumour (i.t.) and per-oral. After tumour transplantation in syngeneic mice, phenylboronic acid was shown to slow the growth of both tumour cell lines (4T1 and SCCVII) compared with the control. The inhibitory effects were pronounced during the application of phenylboronic acid. For both tested tumour cell lines, the most prominent antitumour effect was obtained by intraperitoneal administration, followed significantly by oral administration.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Biomedical Informatics and Division of Pathology Informatics created a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) pipeline in 2011 dedicated to providing cutting-edge informatics research and career preparatory experiences to a diverse group of highly motivated high-school students. In this third editorial installment describing the program, we provide a brief overview of the pipeline, report on achievements of the past scholars, and present results from self-reported assessments by the 2015 cohort of scholars. The pipeline continues to expand with the 2015 addition of the innovation internship, and the introduction of a program in 2016 aimed at offering first-time research experiences to undergraduates who are underrepresented in pathology and biomedical informatics. Achievements of program scholars include authorship of journal articles, symposium and summit presentations, and attendance at top 25 universities. All of our alumni matriculated into higher education and 90% remain in STEM majors. The 2015 high-school program had ten participating scholars who self-reported gains in confidence in their research abilities and understanding of what it means to be a scientist.

ABSTRACT Foraging theory suggests organisms increase their fitness through dietary and energetic choices. In nature, organisms choose to consume balanced optimal diets but as exotic plants invade ecosystems, new foraging options become available. Often these plants have different traits and can negatively affect fitness of foragers by lowering survival or growth due to toxicity. Wetland habitats are highly susceptible to plant invasions which can have negative effects on nutrient cycling. The purpose of this study was to examine whether invasion of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) alters tadpole foraging preference thus potentially impacting their survivorship and fitness. We designed a common garden experiment and utilized stable isotopic signatures to investigate the contribution of purple loosestrife and native hardwood detritus to larval wood frog (Rana sylvatica) and southern leopard frog (Rana sphenocephala) diets. Tadpoles derived a higher percentage of resources from purple loosestrife compared to native hardwood detritus when presented with both options, despite its high concentration of toxic secondary compounds. It is unknown if tadpoles can detect competing fitness signals that may be associated with higher nutrient and toxicity levels in purple loosestrife. Discovering the presence or absence of such signals will promote a greater understanding of selective foraging in changing environments.

An important task in conducting a systematic review is reading titles and abstracts of the retrieved references, which often number in the thousands, to determine which articles meet the predefined inclusion criteria. In the past, this was performed by manually scanning through large stacks of printed titles and abstracts, followed by face-to-face meetings to discuss which references should be included. Today, the workflow of the review process is more streamlined by using computer software.

Seven Centaurea species from Croatia ( C. alba , C. calcitrapa , C. cristata , C. rhenana , C. rupestris , C. salonitana and C. solstitialis ) belonging to five sections were studied. Chromosome numbers and metaphase plates are presented. All species studied here were found to be either diploid or tetraploid with the exception of C. salonitana which presented both ploidy levels: one diploid and one tetraploid population were detected

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.