Microbiomes are typically characterised by high species diversity but it is poorly understood how such system-level complexity can be generated and propagated. Here, we used soils as a relevant model to study microbiome development. Despite inherent stochastic variation in manipulating species-rich communities, both laboratory-mixed medium complexity (21 soil bacterial isolates in equal proportions) and high-diversity natural top-soil communities followed highly reproducible succession paths, maintaining distinct soil microbiome signatures. Development trajectories and compositional states were different for communities propagated in soils than in liquid suspension. Microbiome states were maintained over multiple renewed growth cycles but could be diverged by short-term pollutant exposure. The different but robust trajectories demonstrated that deterministic taxa-inherent characteristics underlie reproducible development and self-organized complexity of soil microbiomes within their environmental boundary conditions. Our findings also have direct implications for potential strategies to achieve controlled restoration of desertified land. TEASER Species-rich soil microbiomes grow and propagate reproducibly despite inherent stochastic complexity, paving the way for soil restoration.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to various conduct and behavior problems within juvenile delinquents, but fewer studies focused on these associations among specific forensic typologies of offending. Utilizing data from 3382 institutionalized delinquents in Texas, logistic regression models indicated multiple associations between ACEs and forensic typologies in both adjusted and unadjusted models, with sexual abuse and physical abuse emerging as the most consistent and robust predictors. Supplemental sensitivity models confirmed the associations between sexual abuse and physical abuse among youth who fit multiple forensic typologies. Models fared poorly at identifying youth who are engaged in fire setting. Implications for total and singular ACEs are discussed, along with how those relate to more clinically meaningful, forensic forms of juvenile delinquency.

This paper describes the application of a smartphone as a detector in the determination of ethanol in distilled beverages. Digital image analysis as an analytical tool is a reality nowadays, and the use of smartphones stands out due to its high accessibility and practicality. The aim is to determine ethanol in distilled beverages using two cheap and simple methods using a smartphone as a detector. Two methods were used, with phenanthroline (method A) and with potassium dichromate (method B) as a reagents and two detectors, spectrophotometer and smartphone. Linear dependence of signal was achieved in the concentration range: from 1.0 to 65.0% (v/v) for method A and from 7.0 to 50.0% (v/v) for method B. The concentration range that is linear with the signal is wide and allows sufficient sensitivity and thus gives the possibility to determine a variety of distilled beverages. Comparison of the obtained results shows that the smartphone and the proposed reagents can be used in routine analysis in quality control of used samples. The results obtained are comparable with the results obtained using a spectrophtometer or with nominal values. The method proved to be simple and inexpensive for the determination of ethanol, does not use expensive reagents neither laborious procedures to carry out the analysis.

Understanding the global prevalence and phenotypic features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is important as geographic factors and ethnic variations can significantly alter the clinical syndrome. The aim of this study was to determine and evaluate the luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone ratio (LH/FSH) in women with PCOS during therapy on selected endocrine and biochemical parameters. Women with PCOS were included in the study and were classified into two groups: women without therapy (de novo) and women with therapy for PCOS. ESHERE/ASRM criteria that require the presence of two out of three criteria: ovulatory dysfunction, hyperandrogenism, and morphological PCOS detected by ultrasound diagnostics. Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) was used for FSH and insulin analysis. The enzymatic method was used to analyze the biochemical profile. There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of the LH/FSH ratio (2.56 vs. 2.41, P=0.043), glucose (6.23 vs. 5.12, P=0.003), insulin (19.21 vs. 7.35, P=0.000), IR (3.22 vs. 1.42, P=0.000), cholesterol (5.97 vs. 4.92, P=0.002), and LDL (3.56 vs. 2.56, P=0.001). The data suggest that patients with PCOS therapy have reduced hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. There was a significant correlation between the LH and FSH in the de novo group, as well as the correlation between hormone levels and LH/FSH ratio in both groups. Patients with PCOS therapy have a tendency for normal body weight and reduction of severe obesity compared to patients without therapy. Clinical features such as regular menstrual cycle and the prevalence of acne and hirsutism are not significantly different between groups. PCOS cause irregularities of the menstrual cycle, the appearance of clinical manifestations, especially changes of LH/FSH ratio. Therapy for PCOS contributes to better regulation of endocrine and biochemical parameters, especially in the reduction of hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and reduced LH/FSH ratio.

The ability to insert a gene into a plant’s nuclear or chloroplast genome enables the transformation of higher plants (e.g. tobacco, Arabidopsis thaliana, potato, tomato, and banana) into Bioreactors for the production of plant-derived pharmaceuticals. Biopharmaceuticals are generally produced on a commercial basis by scale fermentation in bacteria, yeast, or animal cells. Several plant-derived pharmaceuticals have undergone clinical trials and are close to market authorization, with antibodies and vaccines being the front runners. Plant-derived vaccines have been produced using recombinant plant viruses as transgenic expression vectors and Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation systems. During the last decade, several efficient plant-based expression systems have been examined, and more than 100 recombinant proteins, including plant-derived vaccine antigens. Besides, regulatory protocols are slowing down production. Industry requirements and public acceptance of the technology are important aspects in establishing successful products. This paper reviews the current status of development in the area of biopharmaceuticals and vaccines produced from transgenic plants. 

The issue of economic convergence has been widely analyzed by the researchers. Convergence hypothesis has been tested at different levels - global, national, regional and local. This paper is analyzing local economic convergence in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in last three decades. In this period the country was facing twofold transition: from war to peace and from socialism to market economy. The regression and distributional approach to convergence analysis are combined. The first hypothesis research is testing is that poor municipalities grow faster comparing to rich municipalities – unconditional beta convergence. Second hypothesis is that dispersion of local per capita GDP decreases over time – sigma convergence. To further investigate the issue and check the changes in the distribution, several visual inspection instruments were also used. The research findings are inconclusive. While regression analysis provides some evidence for unconditional beta-convergence, in a case of sigma convergence, results are mixed. This is related to significant structural changes country went through, firmly confirmed with the transitional probability matrix data. Findings confirm the necessity for combining different approaches and instruments while analysing convergence. From the specific country perspective, research results can be used as a strong argument for the necessity of new more balanced regional development policy.

Sunscreens ensure thorough protection against sunburn. The delivery of UV filters into the stratum corneum and viable epidermis could be reduced by the use of antioxidants (such as β-carotene and trans-resveratrol, alone or combined). The presence/absence of antioxidants (trans-resveratrol and β-carotene) in formulations containing benzophenone-3 (UV-filter) and their efficiency under disinfection and neutral conditions are studied and compared. The trial was conducted on 38 people. The prepared ointments were applied to the participants’ forearms, irradiated and monitored by reflectance colorimetry after 0, 4, 6, and 8 min. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the skin color’s main characteristics and the F-ratio was used to test overall differences. The ointments containing antioxidants and benzophenone-3 were the most efficient, followed by those with benzophenone-3 alone. It was proven that photoprotection with benzophenone-3 is still effective, despite the formation of its chlorinated products. Due to the short time of exposure to disinfecting conditions, it could be assumed that benzophenone-3 was only partially chlorinated. This clinical study demonstrated that formulations containing antioxidants are likely to be more suitable for protecting skin against UVB irradiation than a UV filter alone.

As tecnologias modernas convencionais de produção de manga são muito importantes para o crescimento da produção mundial, mas a maioria não é aceita nos sistemas orgânicos. Dessa forma, esse trabalho de revisão de literatura descreve práticas viáveis de transição orgânica em contraponto às modernas técnicas do manejo conservador com o objetivo de avaliar a importância do manejo alternativo na produção sustentável em manga buscando eliminar o uso de agroquímicos sintéticos e produzir frutos orgânicos com melhor aceitação comercial. A manga é bastante consumida no mundo, e o Brasil é um dos principais produtores e exportadores, mas a maior parte da produção se encontra, principalmente, no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco e em São Paulo, mantendo supremacia no manejo convencional, que apesar de ser bastante produtivo, ainda adota práticas insustentáveis que promovem a degradação ambiental, como o uso maciço de agrotóxicos. Devido à cobrança dos consumidores e ambientalistas a produção orgânica vem ganhando espaço, com práticas de fertilização orgânica, policultivos, adubação verde, consorciação de cultivos, entre outras, buscando desenvolver a agrobiodiversidade e favorecer o controle biológico, para produzir frutos seguros e ambientalmente corretos, atendendo aos pré-requisitos econômicos, ambientais, sociais e culturais. Práticas indispensáveis à transição do sistema convencional para o agroecológico, que apesar de crescente em todo o mundo, encontram dificuldades de expansão, principalmente em cultivos perenes, devido à falta de apoio público institucional, assistência técnica, insumos disponíveis e pesquisas de apoio, essenciais ao incremento produtivo orgânico e/ou agroecológico.

Conventional ophthalmic dosage forms, although being simple to apply and presenting great patients' compliance, display poorer drug bioavailability and retention time on the eye surface. To cope with these problems, one must formulate novel drug delivery systems, such as nanosystems, for ocular drug delivery. Different formulation methods of nanoparticles have been developed, but some of them, such as the supercritical fluid method, have not reached their full potential in ocular drug delivery. This article aims to present the possibilities of the supercritical fluid method when preparing nanosystems for ocular drug delivery. This method could be used more frequently and efficiently because it is environmentally friendly and produces nanoparticles of the desired physicochemical properties, which is especially important in ocular drug delivery considering its peculiarities. Modifications of the supercritical fluid method can be used when a drug has some specific properties, which is an additional benefit in ocular drug delivery.

Patients with cancer have higher COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Here we present the prospective CAPTURE study, integrating longitudinal immune profiling with clinical annotation. Of 357 patients with cancer, 118 were SARS-CoV-2 positive, 94 were symptomatic and 2 died of COVID-19. In this cohort, 83% patients had S1-reactive antibodies and 82% had neutralizing antibodies against wild type SARS-CoV-2, whereas neutralizing antibody titers against the Alpha, Beta and Delta variants were substantially reduced. S1-reactive antibody levels decreased in 13% of patients, whereas neutralizing antibody titers remained stable for up to 329 days. Patients also had detectable SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells and CD4+ responses correlating with S1-reactive antibody levels, although patients with hematological malignancies had impaired immune responses that were disease and treatment specific, but presented compensatory cellular responses, further supported by clinical recovery in all but one patient. Overall, these findings advance the understanding of the nature and duration of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with cancer.

This study aimed to generate a linguistic equivalent of the COVID Stress Scales (CSS) in the Serbian language and examine its psychometric characteristics. Data were collected from September to December 2020 among the general population of three cities in Republic of Serbia and Republic of Srpska, countries where the Serbian language is spoken. Participants completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, followed by the CSS and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The CSS was validated using the standard methodology (i.e., forward and backward translations, pilot testing). The reliability of the Serbian CSS was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega coefficients and convergent validity was evaluated by correlating the CSS with PSS. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the construct validity of the Serbian CSS. This study included 961 persons (52.8% males and 47.2% females). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the Serbian CSS was 0.964 and McDonald’s omega was 0.964. The Serbian CSS with 36 items and a six-factorial structure showed a measurement model with a satisfactory fit for our population (CMIN/DF = 4.391; GFI = 0.991; RMSEA = 0.025). The CSS total and all domain scores significantly positively correlated with PSS total score. The Serbian version of the CSS is a valid and reliable questionnaire that can be used in assessing COVID-19-related distress experienced by Serbian speaking people during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as future epidemics and pandemics.

Introduction: Treatment is generally not available for drug-induced liver injury (DILI) patients except in some specific circumstances. The management of DILI is based on the withdrawal of the responsible drug and monitoring the patients and only a few patients need to be referred to a transplant center. Some studies on the role of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in DILI have been published. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the role of UDCA in the treatment and prevention of DILI. Methods: A search was undertaken in PubMed, with the key words ursodeoxycholic acid, drug-induced liver injury and hepatotoxicity following the PRISMA guidelines. Results: A total of 33 publications were identified: 25 case reports and 8 case series. In 18 of the 25 cases reports (22 patients), authors reported improvement of liver injury associated with UDCA therapy whereas 7 case reports did not show clinical or biochemical improvement after UDCA treatment. There were 4 studies evaluating the role of UDCA in the treatment of DILI, three prospective (one being a clinical trial) and one retrospective studies. Three studies observed liver profile improvements associated with UDCA. In addition, four studies evaluated UDCA in the prevention of DILI: one pilot study, two randomized clinical trials (RCT) and one retrospective study. Three of these studies observed a lower percentage of patients with an increase in transaminases in the groups that used UDCA for DILI prevention. Conclusion: According to available data UDCA seems to have some benefits in the treatment and prevention of DILI. However, the design of the published studies does not allow a firm conclusion to be drawn on the efficacy of UDCA in DILI. A well designed RCT to evaluate the role of UDCA in DILI is needed.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite growing efforts for its early detection by screening populations at risk, the majority of lung cancer patients are still diagnosed in an advanced stage. The management of lung cancer has dramatically improved in the last decade and is no longer based on the “one-fits-all” paradigm or the general histological classification of non-small cell versus small cell lung cancer. Emerging options of targeted therapies and immunotherapies have shifted the management of lung cancer to a more personalized treatment approach, significantly influencing the clinical course and outcome of the disease. Molecular biomarkers have emerged as valuable tools in the prognosis and prediction of therapy response. In this review, we discuss the relevant biomarkers used in the clinical management of lung tumors, from diagnosis to prognosis. We also discuss promising new biomarkers, focusing on non-small cell lung cancer as the most abundant type of lung cancer.

Although high and simulated altitude training has become an increasingly popular training method, no study has investigated the influence of acute hypoxic exposure on balance in team-sport athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether acute exposure to normobaric hypoxia is detrimental to balance performance in highly-trained basketball players. Nine elite and nine sub-elite male basketball players participated in a randomized, single-blinded, cross-over study. Subjects performed repeated trials of a single-leg balance test (SLBT) in an altitude chamber in normoxia (NOR; approximately sea level) with FiO2 20.9% and PiO2 ranging from 146.7 to 150.4 mmHg and in normobaric hypoxia (HYP; ~3,800 m above sea level) with FiO2 13.0% and PiO2 ranging from 90.9 to 94.6 mmHg. The SLBT was performed three times: 15 min after entering the environmental chamber in NOR or HYP, then two times more interspersed by 3-min rest. Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate (HR) were recorded at four time points: after the initial 15-min rest inside the chamber and immediately after each SLBT. Across the cohort, the balance performance was 7.1% better during NOR than HYP (P < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.58). However, the performance of the elite group was not impaired by HYP, whereas the sub-elite group performed worse in the HYP condition on both legs (DL: P = 0.02, d = 1.23; NDL: P = 0.01, d = 1.43). SpO2 was lower in HYP than NOR (P < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.99) with a significant decline over time during HYP. HR was higher in HYP than NOR (P = 0.04, ηp2 = 0.25) with a significant increase over time. Acute exposure to normobaric hypoxia detrimentally affected the balance performance in sub-elite but not elite basketball players.

Disposal of healthcare waste is a key issue of environmental sustainability in the world. The amount of healthcare waste is increasing every day, and it is necessary to adequately dispose of this kind of waste. There are various treatments for healthcare waste disposal, of which incineration of healthcare waste is one of the solutions. This paper suggests a model for selection of the type of incinerators that best solve the problem of healthcare waste in secondary healthcare institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the selection of incinerators, extended sustainability criteria were applied. Basic sustainability criteria: environmental, economic, and social criteria, were extended with the technical criterion. To assess which of the incinerators best meets the needs for healthcare waste collection, multi-criteria decision-making was used. For this purpose, a combination of two MCDA methods was applied in this paper, namely full consistency method (FUCOM) and compromise ranking of alternatives from distance to ideal solution (CRADIS). The FUCOM method was applied to determine the weights of the criteria, while the CRADIS method was applied to rank the alternatives. The best alternative of the six alternatives used is A2 (I8-M50), followed by alternative A1 (I8-M40), while the worst ranked alternative is A5 (I8-M100). These results were confirmed by applying the other six methods of multi-criteria analysis and the performed sensitivity analysis. The contribution of this paper is reflected through a new method of multi-criteria analysis that was used to solve decision-making problems. This method has shown simplicity and flexibility in operation and can be used in all problems when it is necessary to make a multi-criteria selection of alternatives.