The use of medicinal plants dates back to ancient civilizations, where they were the primary form of treatment. This interest has evolved with scientific advances and led to their modern use. Around 13000 medicinal plants are used worldwide, and 65-80% of the population uses them for therapeutic purposes. In Serbia, approximately 700 medicinal plant species are found, of which around 420 are actively used. An important medical field in which medicinal plants play a crucial therapeutic role is the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs). This study aimed to collect and document the diverse uses of medicinal plants and the traditional knowledge in Serbia regarding their therapeutic applications in treating UTIs.

The evolution of training and skills development at BENU Pharmacies represents a remarkable journey characterized by strategic foresight and adaptability within the rapidly evolving pharmaceutical industry. Since its inception, BENU Pharmacies has exemplified a strong commitment to operational excellence and workforce development through a meticulously structured approach to training (1-3). Training and development are essential components of organizational success, particularly in industries as dynamic and regulated as pharmaceuticals (4). The ability to continuously enhance both technical and interpersonal skills is crucial for maintaining high standards of service delivery, adapting to emerging industry trends, and meeting the ever-changing needs of customers (5,6). Effective training programs not only ensure that employees are proficient in their technical roles but also foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

Background: Patients' ability to understand and apply medicines information is a prerequisite for optimal and safe use of medicines. Patients should be able to know and understand basic medicines information, either written or verbal, and calculate the prescribed dose in order to avoid health risks associated with the use of medicines. Methods and Objectives: The objective of the study was to evaluate medication literacy (knowledge, understanding and numerical skills regarding the use of medicines) in hospitalized orthopedic patients. A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted at 2 orthopedic hospitals in Belgrade, Serbia, between September 2021 and February 2022, using medication literacy questionnaire. Results: Among 210 eligible patients, 53.3% were male, with more than 12 years of education (58.6%), who described their health (57.6%) and financial status (66.2%) as average. Most patients understood storage information (80%) and drug-food interactions (82%) in patient information leaflet (PIL). Nearly all patients (94%) understood instructions on medicine label. However, only 23.8% patients could properly interpret shelf life printed on the package. When it comes to verbal information given by pharmacist, most patients understood instructions on drug-food interactions (87%) and the use of antibiotics (78%). More than half patients (55.2%) knew that expired medicines should be returned to community pharmacy for safe disposal. In the case of missed dose, only 45% patients knew they should wait to take the next dose at the scheduled time. Regarding numerical skills, most patients could calculate maximum daily dose (86%), as well as maximum therapeutic dose (85%). Conclusions: The study indicates that written medicines information in combination with verbal instructions have proven to be understandable for most patients, but highlights a lack of sufficient knowledge regarding the proper disposal of expired medicines and missed dose. Assessment of medication literacy is a crucial for implementation of medication adherence intervention and health risks prevention.

Introduction/Aim. Plums, as one of the oldest types of fruits, are very important in the human diet. The most common varieties of plums cultivated in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina are Požegača, Čačanska lepotica, Čačanska rodna and Valjevka. They belong to the group of basic fruits rich in various vitamins and minerals. In addition, plum seed oil is used in the cosmetic industry. This oil is a rich source of biologically active components with proven biological effects - it hydrates the skin and improves its elasticity; the skin easily absorbs it without leaving a greasy film on the surface. The aim of this study was to find the optimal method for isolating fatty oil from the seeds of four types of plums with the best characteristics. Their potential as raw material in the cosmetic industry through the application of supercritical and Soxhlet extraction and their characterization was examined. Methods. Fatty oils were extracted by conventional Soxhlet extraction with non-polar organic solvent and by supercritical extraction with carbon dioxide. The AOAC 930.15 method was used to determine the moisture content of the plum seeds. The oils were characterized by determining the organoleptic characteristics, as well as the acid, iodine, saponification and peroxide number. Results. The fattiest oil was obtained from the pits of the Čačanka rodna plum using the both extraction methods, supercritical and Soxhlet extraction. Fatty oil of Požegača had the lowest values of iodine and peroxide number, while the acid and saponification number were the lowest within the oil from Valjevka and Čačanka rodna, respectively. Conclusion. Both extraction methods showed good extraction yields, with higher extraction capacity using Soxhlet extraction. Čačanka rodna had the highest amount of oil. Fatty oils from all varietes showed excellent characteristics, so the plum kernels can be potentially used for obtaining fatty oil for cosmetic purposes due to its beneficial effect on the skin.

The rapidly evolving landscape of public health challenges requires national public health associations (NPHA) to take leadership and play a multifaceted role (1). NPHAs usually serve as primary non-governmental advocates for population health and manage complex intersections of policy, education, and community engagement to address both traditional and emerging public health threats. One of their key roles is to shape strategies that promote equitable access to healthcare, thereby significantly impacting public health outcomes. NPHAs exert their influence across local, regional, and global levels, advancing global health agendas. The establishment of the Serbian Public Health Association (SPHA) in 2003 was a significant milestone in the country's public health history. SPHA added new value to traditional partnerships for public health, led by the Network of Institutes of Public Health, along with the Serbian Medical Chamber, academic institutions, United Nations agencies, Serbian Medical Society, civil society organizations, and interested groups and individuals. SPHA has been active in various public health areas, including strengthening community resilience by supporting families and visiting nurses, promoting the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing continuous medical education, and facilitating public dialogue on health reforms. Today, SPHA is a national, not-for-profit association of current and future public health professionals and other individuals devoted to promoting scientific evidence and multidisciplinary collaboration in health promotion and protection (2). SPHA is a permanent member of the European Public Health Association and the World Federation of Public Health Associations (3). It brings together 96 members of public health practitioners from various backgrounds and affiliations, working together to protect and improve the health of all individuals and reduce health inequalities.

Objective. The main objective of this research was to determine whether and to what extent the level of health literacy affects the reproductive health of young people. Methods. The research belongs to the group of epidemiological studies, conducted according to the type of cross-sectional study. It was carried out in the period from 1st to 17th of June, 2019.A total of 230 students of professional health studies participated in the research. The questionnaire, in addition to demo-graphic data, contained the S-TOFHLA health literacy test and specially designed questions about reproductive health. Results: Our research showed that six respondents (2.61%) had inadequate health literacy, 80 (34.78%) had marginal health literacy, and 144 (62.61%) had adequate health literacy. Greater health literacy is associated with sexual activity, number of partners and the use of anti-baby pills. Health literacy is influenced by many factors, including knowledge of reproductive health, age, gender, sociodemographic factors, economic status, level of education, and more. Insufficient promotion of sexual education in our society, potential mistrust in the official education system and the desire of respondents to independently research this area. Conclusion. More than two thirds of students show the adequate level of health literacy. Students who are older in terms of age and years of study have a higher level of health literacy. This research can serve as a starting point for the creation of new programs on reproductive health and health literacy, especially those aimed at the population of health professionals.

Background: Family medicine is defined by the copartner attitude towards patients, and the field of action of the same is not just sickness but illness too- which includes satisfaction od patients, which constitutes an important reference of quality of the health system. Objective: Evaluation of patients satisfaction with provided healthcare in Family medicine (FM). Methods: The research is, by type, designed as random, descriptive, prospective. The study was conducted in the time period of May, 2018, in FM- one patient departments of the Primary Healthcare Center of Sarajevo Canton. 250 of age subjects, older than 18 years ,both genders were included in the study. The standardized, anonym, diskret, and to the demands of the research adapted, questionnaire of the Agency for quality and acreditation in health in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was used as the survey instrument. For data processing, the statistical package for data processing IBM Statistics SPSS was used. Results: Most of the patients were very satisfied with the accesss to the establishment, the working time of the establishment, the waiting time in the waiting room, the duration of examination, the adequacy, with securing privacy and with the work of the physician and the nurse. 44,80% of patients were satisfied, and 32,40% were very satisfied with the department of FM. In comparison to other health departments, 36,44% of patients adduce that FM is better. 65,60% of patients schedule physician examination, 17,60% of patients do not. Between groups of patients, significant differences in patients satisfaction with provided healthcare exist, Conclusion:. The most satisfied group of patients, with provided healthcare in FM, are patients age over 55 years, retired, having some chronical disease, having a elected FM physician, which schedule physical examination by their elected FM physician and patients which always.

Background: Different research studies show that people who exercise regularly have higher levels of body water due to predominance of lean muscle tissue instead of adipose tissue. Sedentary lifestyle leads to increase in the body fat mass and decrease in the percentage of body water. The aim of the study was to explore the effects of regular recreative physical exercise on the body water levels and muscle. Methods and Objectives: Study included 50 subjects of both genders aged 18 to 55 years, who engaged in recreational physical exercise. All subjects were measured at baseline, before they started to exercise and after period of three months. Body composition was analyzed by Bioelectrical impedance. All subjects exercised three times a week for 75 minutes. Exercise plan consisted of combined anaerobic training for 45 minutes and aerobic training for 30 minutes. Dietary advice was not provided for participants. Descriptive and analytical statistics methods were used in statistical data processing. Statistical data processing was done in the SPSS Windows version 25 software package. Results: After three months, the percentage of body water was increased by 1.95% (p<0.001) and it was statistically significant in both sexes (p<0.001). At the end of the study, muscle mass values were higher by 0.62 kg (p=0.034). In relation to gender, a statistically significant difference was found between two measurements in women (p=0.025), while in men this difference was not significant (p=0.194). Conclusions: Results show that regular physical activity has a favorable effect on the level of body water and muscle mass, that leads to better cardiovascular outcomes.

Background: In the last few decades, along with the lifestyle changes and the development of diagnostic procedures, food allergies have become a serious public health problem. In addition to health problems, they also lead to deterioration of the quality of life of both patients and their families. The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of clinical manifestations in preschoolers suffering from food allergies Methods and Objectives: Cross-sectional study was performed in kindergarten "Dr Simo Milošević" Total number of children aged 2-6 years included in the study was 4123. Data on the type of food allergy and clinical manifestations were used. Symptoms were divided according to respiratory symptoms, contact allergies, allergies on the skin, lips, and gastrointestinal, diarrhea Study instrument was questionnaire for parents. Descriptive and analytical statistics methods were used in statistical data processing. Statistical data processing was done in the SPSS Windows version 25 software package. Results: Out of the total number of children who participated in the research, 41 had a food allergy. Out of the total number of children with allergies, most of the symptoms were related to changes in the skin, 53.7%, followed by changes in the lips, 22%, and diarrhea, 17.1%. Only 7.3% of children with food allergies had an anaphylactic manifestation of allergy. Conclusions: The obtained data show a high frequency of clinical manifestations of food allergies, indicating the importance of early detection of food allergies.

Digital credentials represent crucial elements of digital identity on the Internet. Credentials should have specific properties that allow them to achieve privacy-preserving capabilities. One of these properties is selective disclosure, which allows users to disclose only the claims or attributes they must. This paper presents a novel approach to selective disclosure BLS-MT-ZKP that combines existing cryptographic primitives: Boneh-Lynn-Shacham (BLS) signatures, Merkle hash trees (MT) and zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) method called Bulletproofs. Combining these methods, we achieve selective disclosure of claims while conforming to selective disclosure requirements. New requirements are defined based on the definition of selective disclosure and privacy spectrum. Besides selective disclosure, specific use cases for equating digital credentials with paper credentials are achieved. The proposed approach was compared to the existing solutions, and its security, threat, performance and limitation analysis was done. For validation, a proof-of-concept was implemented, and the execution time was measured to demonstrate the practicality and efficiency of the approach.

The PHOENIX Group, founded by Adolf Merckle in 1994, stands as a prominent entity in the European pharmaceutical distribution sector. With origins tracing back over a century, the company has experienced significant growth and transformation, positioning itself as a market leader in numerous countries (1-3). Over the decades, PHOENIX has navigated the dynamic and often challenging landscape of the pharmaceutical industry with strategic foresight and adaptability (3,4). This paper examines the evolution of the PHOENIX Group, its strategic acquisitions, and its substantial impact on the pharmaceutical distribution landscape in Europe. By delving into the company’s historical milestones, strategic decisions, and innovative approaches, we aim to highlight how PHOENIX has not only adapted to but also shaped the evolving needs of the healthcare sector. The analysis will also explore the company’s role in enhancing supply chain efficiency, expanding market reach, and fostering advancements in pharmaceutical retail and distribution across the continent.