Epidemiology of end‐stage renal disease and hemodialysis treatment in Serbia at the turn of the millennium

The study presents the epidemiological features of patients treated with renal replacement therapy (RRT) in Serbia from 1997 to 2009 and compares the results of hemodialysis treatment in 1999 and 2009. Epidemiological data were obtained from the National Registry of RRT patients and data on hemodialysis treatment from special surveys conducted in 1999 and 2009. Within the period 1997–2009 the incidence of patients on RRT increased from 108 to 179 per million population (pmp), prevalence rose from 435 to 699 pmp, while mortality rate fell from 20.7% to 16.7%. The frequency of patients with glomerulonephritis decreased, while that of patients with diabetes and hypertensive nephropathy increased. In late 2009 there were 5208 patients receiving RRT in Serbia. Within the examined period new hemodialysis and reverse osmosis equipment were purchased, high‐flux dialyzers with synthetic membranes were increasingly used and the number of patients receiving hemodiafiltration increased to 17.6%. Kt/V greater than 1.2 was recorded in 16% of the patients in 1999 but 52% in 2009. Options for correction of anemia and mineral disorders have also improved. The percentage of patients with HbsAg (13.8% vs. 4.8%) as well as anti‐hepatitis C virus antibodies positive patients (23.2% vs. 12.7%) was significantly lower in 2009 than in 1999. Both the incidence and prevalence of RRT patients in Serbia are rising continuously, while the mortality rate is falling. More favorable conditions for dialysis treatment have brought about significant improvement in the results over the last 10 years.     

Barrel-like carbon nanoparticles from carbide by catalyst assisted chlorination

The nanostructure of carbon materials synthesised via chlorination of various metal and metalloid carbides and their mixtures has been investigated by low-temperature nitrogen sorption, X-ray powder diffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy techniques. The carbon nanostructure and its crystallinity are strongly affected by transition metal catalysts and synthesis temperature. A clear relationship between carbon nanostructure formation and catalysts concentration revealed that only very low concentration (approximately 1 mg per gram of carbide) of Cobalt (Ni, Fe) in reaction medium supports the conversation of Al₄C₃ to nanobarrel-like carbon nanoparticles.     

浓香菜籽油在不同加工单元下多环芳烃和风味品质的变化规律

分析了炒籽、压榨和脱胶等单元下油菜籽和油中多环芳烃的含量,明确了多环芳烃在浓香菜籽油3个加工单元中的迁移规律。在此基础上,考查了炒籽升温速率和脱胶单元对浓香菜籽油中多环芳烃形成和风味品质的影响。结果显示,炒籽和压榨单元均造成油菜籽及菜籽油中多环芳烃含量增加,炒籽后的油菜籽中苯并[a]芘、PAH4和EPA16含量分别增加0.40、3.79和10.51 μg/kg。脱胶单元使菜籽油中多环芳烃含量降低,其中轻质PAHs含量减少7.96 μg/kg。炒籽升温速率对浓香菜籽油中多环芳烃含量具有显著影响（P<0.05）。高升温速率下浓香菜籽油中苯并[a]芘、PAH4和EPA16含量分别为0.91、7.18和40.92 μg/kg;低升温速率下样品含量分别为0.38、3.21和27.99 μg/kg。炒籽升温速率对浓香菜籽油中多酚、生育酚和甾醇含量,以及挥发性化合物种类和含量影响不显著（P>0.05）。脱胶处理后,菜籽油中酸价下降0.45 mg/g,过氧化值增加0.49 mmol/kg;菜籽油L*和b*明显提升,a*降低;菜籽油中脂质氧化产物和美拉德反应产物含量分别降低31.19%和53.05%。研究结果可为浓香菜籽油生产中工艺参数优化提供有价值的参考。     

The impact of fullerenol nanoparticles on the growth of toxigenic Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxins production in vitro and in corn flour

Antifungal and antimycotoxigenic activity of fullerenol nanoparticles (FNPs) were investigated on Aspergillus flavus growth isolated from a real food sample and aflatoxins (AFs) (AFB₁ and AFB₂) production. The final FNPs concentrations in in vitro and in commercial corn flour after the stationary incubation period of 7 and 14 days were in the range 0.16–80 µg/mL and 0.16–80 µg/g, respectively. Nanocharacterization of FNPs revealed an average size of 5–20 nm and a zeta potential of −35 mV. The highest degree of A. flavus mycelium growth inhibition (28%) after 7 days was observed for applied FNP concentration of 8.0 µg/mL, while after 14 days FNP concentration of 0.32 µg/mL led to the maximal inhibition of A. flavus mycelium growth (36%). Spearman's correlations analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between AFB₁ and AFB₂ concentrations in YES broth after 7 (R = 0.994, p < 0.05) and 14 days (R = 0.976), as well as between AFs concentrations and A. flavus mycelium mass after 7 (R = 0.786 for AFB₁ and R = 0.766 for AFB₂) and 14 days (R = 0.810 for AFB₁ and R = 0.833 for AFB₂). Paired samples t-test showed the existence of a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the produced AFs concentrations after the incubation of 7 and 14 days. Regarding the artificially inoculated corn flour the lower applied FNP concentrations (0.16–0.8 µg/g) achieved a reduction of AFB₁ up to 42% and 60% after 7 and 14 days, respectively.     

Dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of the composites of thermoplastic starch and lanthanum hydroxide nanoparticles

Nanostructured lanthanum (III)‐oxide (La₂O₃) particles were prepared by a polymer complex solution method and further used for the preparation of lanthanum hydroxide (La(OH)₃) nanoparticles. The La(OH)₃ nanopowder was mixed with glycerol‐plasticized maize starch and the effect of the filler on the thermal, mechanical, and viscoelastic properties of the matrix was investigated. It was expected that this nanofiller, which shows an affinity toward OH groups, would strongly affect the physical properties of thermoplastic starch (TPS). The pure TPS and the TPS‐La(OH)₃ nanocomposite films (with 1, 2, and 3 wt % filler) were conditioned at various relative humidities (RHs) (35, 57, 75, and 99% RH). After conditioning at 99% RH, the pure TPS films exhibited higher affinity toward water than the nanocomposites. Differential scanning calorimetric measurements showed that, due to retrogradation effects, the melting enthalpies of the films increased with increasing RH. Dynamic mechanical analysis revealed that the mechanical properties in the linear range strongly depend on both the humidity conditions and the concentration of the filler. The results also show that La(OH)₃ nanoparticles are good reinforcement for TPS films. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Craniocerebral injuries at the Vukovar battlefield]

In Neurosurgical Clinic of Military Medical Academy 33 wounded persons with craniocerebral injuries (CCI) from Vukovar battlefield were treated from September 16 to December 3. After the follow-up period of average 48 months the outcome of treatment was analyzed compared to the clinical status on admission and to the extent of cerebral lesion. All wounded with minor CCI (GCS = 15) and majority with mild injuries (GCS = 13-14) had the good outcome, and all the wounded with severe injuries (GCS = 3-8) died (p < 0.01). After unilobar penetrating CCI the outcome was mostly good, but after multilobar and transventricular injuries the outcome was worse or lethal (p < 0.01). Total mortality rate was 27.3%. Our conclusion is that bad clinical status on admission and more extensive cerebral lesions correlate with worse outcome of treatment of war CCI.     

Phase separation induced by hydration of the mixed Ca/Sr aluminates Ca3−xSrxAl2O6: A crystallographic study

The compounds formed by the hydration of single-phase samples of the mixed, solid solution, Ca/Sr aluminates, Ca_3−xSr_xAl₂O₆, 3≤x≤0 have been studied using high-resolution synchrotron powder diffraction. Hydration of these mixed metal aluminates generally resulted in the formation of at least two hydrogarnet phases, one Ca-rich and the other Sr-rich. The structures of these hydrogarnets have been refined from neutron or synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. A simple solubility model to explain the phase separation is presented.