Oxidative stress and DNA damage in horses naturally infected with Theileria equi.

The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of oxidative stress parameters and DNA damage in horses infected by Theileria equi. Initial screening of 110 horses with duplex PCR enabled the selection of 30 infected horses with T. equi and 30 free of infection (control). Specimens from the 60 horses were further analysed by determining the following oxidative stress parameters: extent of haemolysis (EH), plasma free haemoglobin (PHb), catalase (CAT), Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1), paraoxonase (PON1), nitrite (NO2-), total nitrate and nitrite (NOx), malondialdehyde (MDA) and free thiol groups (-SH). In addition, relative distribution of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH1-LDH5) activity and the DNA-damaging effects of T. equi infection were evaluated. Compared to control horses, horses infected with T. equi had significantly higher SOD1 activities (P <0.05) and PHb (P <0.01), NO2- (P <0.001), NOx (P <0.05) and MDA concentrations (P <0.001), and significantly lower EH (P <0.001), CAT (P <0.01) and PON1 (P <0.001) activities, and thiol group concentrations (P <0.05). The comet assay demonstrated significantly increased DNA damage in T. equi infected cells compared to non-infected cells (P <0.001). Infected horses had significantly increased LDH5 isoenzyme activities (P <0.05). There was higher production of ROS/RNS in T. equi-infected horses, which resulted in changes in osmotic fragility, damage to lipids, proteins and DNA, haemolysis and hepatocellular damage. Oxidative stress in horses naturally infected with T. equi could contribute to the pathogenesis of the infection.

Biogeographic study of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republic of Macedonia based on mitochondrial DNA analyses.

In this work, Apis mellifera carnica and A. m. macedonica honey bees from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republic of Macedonia were analysed using molecular techniques in order to improve our knowledge about biogeography of A. mellifera on the Balkan peninsula. This is the first time that the indigenous honey bees from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republic of Macedonia have been analyzed using a molecular approach. Sampling was carried out from 560 stationary apiaries where bees were kept in traditional hives (woven skeps). The COI-COII regions of 1680 samples were PCR-amplified and sequenced. To reveal the haplotype of studied bees, the obtained sequences were aligned with published sequence data of haplotypes that belong to A. mellifera C phylogenetic lineage. The C2D mtDNA haplotype was found in all honey bees sampled from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republic of Macedonia. These results show that A. m. carnica and A. m. macedonica share the same C2D mtDNA haplotype. COI gene segments of 1680 samples were PCR-amplified and digested with restriction enzymes NcoI and StyI in order to discriminate A. m. macedonica from A. m. carnica. Amplified fragment patterns produced by both restriction enzymes matched with diagnostic pattern characteristic for A. m. macedonica in case of samples from east, south and south-west parts of Serbia, and Republic of Macedonia, fragments of samples from northern part of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina did not include NcoI and StyI restriction sites. These results indicate that honey bees from east, south and south-west parts of Serbia, and Republic of Macedonia belong to the A. m. macedonica, and honey bees from northern part of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina belong to another subspecies, probably to the A. m. carnica. Therefore A. m. macedonica has much wider area of distribution than it was previously considered.

[Measurement of efficiency and quality of work in hospitals and ambulatory facilities]. / Merenje efikasnosti i kvaliteta rada bolnica i domova zdravlja.

Facing high-cost health care and slow rate of economic growth, great attention must be paid to efficiency and quality of care in hospitals and ambulatory care facilities. This is a problem particularly in developing countries where extreme sums of money are spent on developing hospital capacities, whereas primary health care facilities are insufficient causing significant social differences among health care beneficiaries. At the same time, there exists a certain discontent because principles of equality, efficacy, efficiency and quality of health care including satisfaction of patients obtaining health care, are not pointed out in providing health care. Up to recent times it has been very hard to evaluate both qualitative and quantitative efficiency and quality of work in health care institutions, but today it is possible because the World Health Organization created indicators for this kind of evaluation.

[Clinical evaluation of a new radiopharmaceutical agent 99mTc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3)]. / Klinické hodnotenie nového rádiofarmaka 99mTc-merkaptoacetyltriglycínu (MAG3).

In the present clinically oriented study the authors checked the properties of 99mTc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3), the new radiopharmaceutical for dynamic scintigraphy of the kidneys, in a group of 30 patients. They positively value particularly the high quality of visualization of the parenchyma and the urinary tract, the pharmacokinetic properties similar to those of 131I-orthoiodhippurate and the capability of representation of the kidneys with their markedly decreased function. They examined the take-up of the pharmaceutical in the liver, which is slightly more marked with the worsening tubular function and partly depends also on the length of the time interval between the preparation and administration of MAG3. No significant changes were found in the clinical and principal laboratory parameters after its administration. In conclusion, the authors point out to advantageous properties of the novel radiopharmaceutical for clinical use in our conditions.

Acute massive pulmonary thromboembolism in experiment. Comparison of the effect of fibrinolytic and anticoagulant treatment.

The authors have created a suitable model of a massive pulmonary thromboembolism with autologous blood clots in 38 dogs. The pathophysiological changes were studied, and the effect of the fibrinolytic and anticoagulation treatments were comparatively evaluated. The evaluation was based on angiopulmography, scanning of the lungs, ECG and postmorten findings. The most efficacious was the fibrinolytic treatment, which led to the cure of 4 out of 6 dogs. The heparin therapy was less efficacious. The spontaneous lysis of massive thromboemboli did not manifest itself within 12 hr. These experimental notions helped the authors to attain success in clinical routine, primarily with the fibrinolytic treatment.