Objective - To assess 25(OH)D status in children with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) associated with SARSCoV-2 infection, and the association between serum levels of 25(OH)D and inflammatory marker values.Patients and methods - This retrospective study was conducted at the Clinic for Children’s Diseases, University Clinical Center, Tuzla in the period from November 2020 to November 2021.Results - The study included 23 children with MIS-C with a median age of 6.9 years, and 22 children with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, with a median age of 1.1 years. Both groups of children had low serum levels of 25(OH)D in the range of deficiency; median levels of 25(OH)D in MIS-C children were lower (median 44.60 nmol/L) than in children with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection - median 52.45 nmol/L. There was no statistically significant difference in 25(OH) D levels between the two groups of children included in the study (P=0.33). The same number of children in both groups had adequate serum levels of 25(OH)D. The children in both groups had elevated markers of inflammation, but we did not find a significant correlation between the values of 25(OH)D and the inflammatory marker values.Conclusion - Deficiency of 25(OH) D could be one of the precipitating factors that lead to the development of both MIS-C - related SARS-CoV-2 and more severe forms of acute infection. 25(OH)D enriched food, as well as supplementation with 25(OH)D, should be considered a long-term strategy in all high-risk children and adolescents.

The productivity, health, and well-being of office workers are known to be influenced by the indoor thermal conditions, most significantly the temperature and air humidity. This article is based on measurements and calculated predictions, as well as surveys of the employees in a newly renovated office building in Vienna, Austria. The renovation measures include street-side facade greening. The aim of this study was to determine the possible effects these renovation measures have on thermal comfort inside the building. The evaluation is carried out in accordance with the standards based on the predicted mean vote (PMV), calculated with the collected measurement data. Based on the survey, the calculation results are compared with the subjective perception of the employees. Even though the measurements and the survey were carried out only one year after the renovation, about 70% of the employees’ statements speak about noticeable positive changes due to the renovation measures. Regarding daylight and artificial lighting conditions, a total of 80% of employees are neutral or satisfied. The majority also expresses neutrality or satisfaction regarding spatial conditions and air quality. The satisfaction of the employees is reflected in their work performance. The goal is therefore to achieve the highest possible satisfaction of the building’s users.

InP/ZnSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) offer a cadmium-free solution to make white LEDs with a narrow blue, green and red emission peak. Such LEDs are required for display and lighting applications with high color gamut. An important phenomenon that hampers the efficiency of such quantum-dot-on-chip LEDs is re-absorption of already converted light by the QDs. Proposed solutions to remedy this effect often rely on complex or cost-ineffective manufacturing methods. In this work, four different RGB QD-on-chip LED package configurations are investigated that can be fabricated with a simple cavity encapsulation method. Using accurate optical simulations, the impact of QD re-absorption on the overall luminous efficacy of the light source is analyzed for these four configurations as a function of the photo-luminescent quantum yield (PLQY) of the QDs. The simulation results are validated by implementing these configurations in QD-on-chip LEDs using a single set of red and green emitting InP/ZnSe/ZnS QDs. In this way, the benefits are demonstrated of adding volume scattering particles or a hemispherical extraction dome to the LED package. The best configuration in terms of luminous efficacy, however, is one where the red QDs are deposited in the recycling cavity, while the green QDs are incorporated in the extraction dome. Using this configuration with green and red InP/ZnSe/ZnS QDs with a PLQY of 75% and 65% respectively, luminous efficacy of 102 lm/W was realized for white light with a CCT of 3000 K.

High surface texture of textile materials is rougher than other printing substrates which can cause excessive macro non-uniformity. Adding metal oxides into the ink to enhance material properties usually add to surface roughness and increase print mottle. In this paper copper(I)oxide particles and different amounts of Pinus sylvestris L. plant extract were added to modified alginate paste (CHT-NV) prior to printing. The aim of this paper is to inspect the influence of added metal oxide and plant extract on the print quality of linen based material via surface macro non-uniformity GLCM determination method. In the pattern recognition phase, the co-occurrence matrix is applied to calculate the texture characteristics, such as contrast, correlation, energy, entropy and homogeneity. The research results indicated that the metal oxide particles have had a negative influence on macro uniformity of printed linen. Increasing of the concentration of extract leads to a dilution of the printing paste, and thus to a greater penetration of copper ions between the threads of the fabric, as well as into the yarn itself.

Microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis is a simple, reproducible, rapid, and effective method, and therefore, has attracted considerable interest among scientists in the field of synthesis not only of iron oxide but also of other metal oxides. This method has been used for the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles, hematite (α-Fe2O3), and goethite (α-FeOOH) in strongly alkaline media with iron(III) chloride (FeCl3) as precursor under microwave emission of 850 W. In this work, the effect on the size, shape, and composition of the final product was investigated by changing the conditions, such as shortening the synthesis time, increasing the synthesis temperature, and adding various substances to the synthesis pathway. Samples synthesized at 200 °C for 20 min by increasing the added percentage of polyethylene glycol (PEG), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), rosemary essential oil and lavender essential oil promote goethite-to-hematite transformation, while N-guanylurea sulfate (NGS) and sage essential oil behave differently. The aforementioned substances added at 260 °C resulted in a decrease in particle size, but pure hematite was obtained, regardless of the type of the substances added or the decrease in synthesis time from 20 min to 5 min. Furthermore, the use of essential oils rather than surfactants in this study was presented as a novel, environmentally friendly method of iron oxide synthesis.

This research work included bioinformatics modeling of the dipotassium-trioxohydroxytetrafluorotriborate-halogenated boroxine molecule, as well as simulation and prediction of structural interactions between the halogenated boroxine molecule, human carbonic anhydrase, and human catalase structures. Using computational methods, we tried to confirm the inhibitory effect of halogenated boroxine on the active sites of these previously mentioned enzymes. The three-dimensional crystal structures of human catalase (PDB ID: 1DGB) and human carbonic anhydrase (PDB ID: 6FE2) were retrieved from RCSB Protein Data Bank and the protein preparation was performed using AutoDock Tools. ACD/ChemSketch and ChemDoodle were used for creating the three-dimensional structure of halogenated boroxine. Molecular docking was performed using AutoDock Vina, while the results were visualized using PyMOL. Results obtained in this research are showing evidence that there are interactions between the halogenated boroxine molecule and both previously mentioned proteins (human carbonic anhydrase and human catalase) in their active sites, which led us to the conclusion that the inhibitory function of halogenated boroxine has been confirmed. These findings could be an important step in determining the exact mechanisms of inhibitory activity and will hopefully serve in further research purposes of complex pharmacogenomics studies.

Background: Our recent study has shown that pomegranate peel extract (PEx) showed significant immunomodulatory activity, which might be caused by ellagitannins. The aim of this work was to test the hypothesis that ellagitannin components act synergistically in the modulation of cytokine production. Methods: Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin and treated with different concentrations of PEx or punicalagin (PG), punicalin (PN), and ellagic acid (EA), alone or with their combinations. Cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, and cytokine production were determined. Results: Non-cytotoxic concentrations of all compounds significantly inhibited cell proliferation. IC50 values (μg/mL) were: EA (7.56), PG (38.52), PEx (49.05), and PN (69.95). PEx and all ellagitannins inhibited the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8, dose-dependently, and their combinations acted synergistically. PEx and all ellagitannins inhibited Th1 and Th17 responses, whereas the lower concentrations of PEx stimulated the production of IL-10, a Treg cytokine, as did lower concentrations of EA. However, neither component of ellagitannins increased Th2 response, as was observed with PEx. Conclusions: The combination of PG, PN, and EA potentiated the anti-inflammatory response without any significant synergistic down-modulatory effect on T-cell cytokines. The increased production of IL-10 observed with PEx could be attributable to EA, but the examined ellagitannins are not associated with the stimulatory effect of PEx on Th2 response.

Aim: The aim of article was to present a patient with heart failure symptoms caused by prosthetic mechanical valve endocarditis. Case presentation : 44-years-old male patient was admitted because of dyspnea and swelling of lower extremities. The patient is a long-standing heroin addict who had an aortic valve replacement done 8 years ago due to endocarditis. The implanted valve was a mechanical aortic valve – Edwards MIRA bi-leaflet valve No 32 (Edwards Lifesciences; Irvine, California). He also was already diagnosed with hepatitis C years before. At admission the patient had heart failure signs with sinus tachycardia on the electrocardiogram. During physical examination

Aim

,