The traditional function attributed to white adipose tissue of energy storage in the form of trig... more The traditional function attributed to white adipose tissue of energy storage in the form of triglycerides has been challenged by results from recent studies, showing that adipose tissue is, in fact, a highly active metabolic and endocrine organ. A radical change in perspective followed the discovery of a large number of proteins secreted from white adipocytes, such as leptin, resistin, adiponectin, adipsin, acylation-stimulating protein, angiotensinogen, tumour necrosis factor a, interleukin-6, retinol-binding protein, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, tissue factor, fasting-induced adipose factor, fibrinogen/angiopoetin-related protein, and metallothionein. The effects of specific proteins may be either autocrine or paracrine, meaning that they might act in adipose tissue itself or in more distant target tissues. Some of these proteins induce insulin resistance, some play a role in glucose and lipid metabolism, some are inflammatory cytokines, while others are involved in vascular haemostasis. The key challenges for future investigations of adipose tissue's secretory functions will be to identify all of its secreted proteins, to establish the function of each secreted protein, and to assess the pathophysiological consequences of changes in adipocyte protein production due to problems, such as obesity, fasting, or diabetes mellitus type 2.
Max Josef von Pettenkofer was one of the leading personalities in the world of medicine in the 19... more Max Josef von Pettenkofer was one of the leading personalities in the world of medicine in the 19th century. He was the founder of the modern science of hygiene. In his experimental work, he was involved in the research of problems dealing with the relationship between human beings and the environment, including such topics as soil and air pollution, water supply, sewage water management, room ventilation and heating, as well as the function of clothing and the cleanliness of homes and streets. Pettenkofer also studied the onset, the course, and the consequences of infectious diseases, such as cholera and typhus. He realised the great economic value of public health and emphasised that personal preventive measures should be supplemented with the improvement of factors in communal and work environments. His efforts lead to hygiene becoming a part of medical studies in 1865. The Institute for Hygiene at the School of Medicine in Munich was established in 1879. It was constructed according to his drawings and was considered to be the most modern institute for hygiene in the world. Since hygiene was a subject on the school curriculum in the German Empire in 1882, Pettenkofer became the Chairman of Hygiene in Berlin in 1885. Research institutions established by Pettenkofer and the fact that many of his students became professors of hygiene speak about the importance of his work. One of his students was professor Milan Jovanović Batut, founder of the Institute for Hygiene at the School of Medicine in Belgrade.
Background: Precautionary allergen labels (PAL) should be used to indicate the possibility of all... more Background: Precautionary allergen labels (PAL) should be used to indicate the possibility of allergen presence in the food. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and types of precautionary labeling statements on different pre-packaged food products in retail stores in Belgrade, Serbia, as well as to assess consumers’ attitudes and behavior towards PAL statements. Methods: This was a descriptive study. The following characteristics of 1404 pre-packaged foods were analyzed: prevalence of PAL, listed food allergens on PAL, and the types of the advisory terminology. In the group of 275 participants (94 with food allergies, and 181 persons who purchasing food for a household member with food allergy) reading practice of PAL, purchasing practice based on PAL, and the opinion about PAL statements credibility were evaluated. Results: Overall, 33.9% of products had precautionary statements for one or more allergens. “Tree nuts” were the most common allergens listed in the PAL. The most common type of PAL was “May contain traces of x [allergen]” (52.7%). The PAL was always read by half of the participants. Less than half (43.3%) of the participants incorrectly believed that PAL is regulated by national law. A quarter of participants thought that the PAL statements are trustworthy. Conclusion: PAL statements frequently are not user-friendly and are not providing sufficient protection for food allergic patients. To gain buyers’ confidence, protect health and provide security, the necessity for the strategies that would regulate PAL by the law exists.
Research on the cardiovascular effects of noise in Serbia started in the year 2002, including exp... more Research on the cardiovascular effects of noise in Serbia started in the year 2002, including experimental studies on humans and epidemiological studies on the adult and children population of Belgrade and Pancevo. Experimental exposure to noise [L eq = 89 dB (A)] had a hypodynamic effect, significantly lowering the cardiac index, cardiac work, and pump performance (P < 0.01). The vasoconstrictive effect of noise was shown through the significant elevation of after-load (P < 0.01). In a cross-sectional population study that was carried out on 2874 residents [1243 males and 1631 females] in Pancevo City, a significant odds ratio (adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), and smoking habits) was found for self-reported hypertension (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.0 - 2.4, P < 0.01) in men with a high level of noise annoyance compared to those with a low level of noise annoyance. In another study on 2503 residents (995 men and 1508 women) residents of Belgrade, the proportions of men with hypertension in the noisy [(L night , 8h > 45 dB (A)] and quiet areas [(L night , 8h ≤ 45 dB (A)] were 23.6% and 17.5%, respectively. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for hypertension of the exposed group was 1.58 (95% CI = 1.03 - 2.42, P = 0.038), where men living in quiet streets were taken as a reference category. Associations between road traffic noise and blood pressure were also investigated in 328 preschool children in Belgrade. The systolic blood pressure was significantly higher among children from noisy residences and kindergartens, compared to children from both quiet environments (97.30 ± 8.15 and 92.33 ± 8.64 mmHg, respectively, P < 0.01). As a continuation of the study on preschool children, investigations were also carried out on 856 school children, aged between seven and eleven years, in Belgrade. It was found that systolic pressure was significantly higher among children from noisy schools and quiet residences, compared to children from both quiet environments (102.1 ± 9,3 and 100.4 ± 10.4 mmHg, respectively, P < 0.01).
Provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health care facilities is a p... more Provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health care facilities is a priority at the global, national, and local levels. To inform improvements planning, conditions of WASH, waste management, and environmental cleaning were assessed in 81 facilities in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia, as part of a nationally representative survey in 2019. The survey included on-site checks, structured interviews, and drinking-water quality analysis. WHO/UNICEF indicators for WASH service levels and an advanced service level defined at the national level were applied. The results showed that all investigated facilities provided basic water services; 94% of facilities provided basic hygiene and waste management services; 58 and 2%, respectively, provided basic cleaning and sanitation services. Only 1% of investigated facilities met the basic level for all five WASH dimensions. Advanced service levels were only met for hygiene, waste management, and/or cleaning i...
The Belgrade team for biological effects of noise, comprising experts in the fields of hygiene an... more The Belgrade team for biological effects of noise, comprising experts in the fields of hygiene and cardiology, has carried out population studies in Belgrade on the sample of 2503 adults, 328 preschool children and 1113 schoolchildren to investigate the effects of urban noise on blood pressure. In the first phase of investigation acoustic measurements were performed on 115 streets of the central municipality "Stari grad" as a typical urban environment. Blood pressure measurements were performed using mercury sphygmomanometer in those subjects who did not have a diagnosed hypertension and were not under antihypertensive therapy. Among adults living in the streets with equivalent noise level (Leq) exceeding 45 dB (A) there was a significantly higher number of people with hypertension compared to areas with Leq ≤ 45 dB (A) (23.6% vs.17.5%). After statistical adjustments according to family history of hypertension, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking habits, physical activity ...
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a global strategic framework of seventeen goals to... more The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a global strategic framework of seventeen goals to be achieved within a decade. The recent Progress Report shows that Serbia made steps toward reaching targets within the sustainable development goal (SDG) 6 related to the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. While 82% of the population in urban areas has access to safe drinking water, the country needs to regulate water supply systems and individual water sources in rural areas. Hygienically correct water is a prerequisite for preventing the transmission of fecal-oral diseases. The biggest challenge under the SDG 6 is safe sanitation management, available to 18% of the population. A national on-site study in Serbia identified issues with the containment, emptying, transport, and final disposal of excreta. The key actions must be connecting households to public sewers, regulating management of septic tanks, and investing in environmentally safe wastew...
Nutrition and health claims (NHCs) are a powerful tool that influence consumers’ final decision o... more Nutrition and health claims (NHCs) are a powerful tool that influence consumers’ final decision on the choice of food products. The purposes of this repeated cross-sectional study were to (i) assess the prevalence of pre-packaged food products containing nutrition and health claims among different food categories, (ii) to determine the type of NHCs labelled on the examined food products, and (iii) to evaluate the trend in the use of NHCs in comparison to the 2012 survey. The survey was conducted immediately before the full enforcement of the new national legislation on NHCs in 2020. It comprised 3141 pre-packaged food products from 10 product categories. In total, 21.2% of food products contained any claim (19.4% contained any nutrition claim; 8.2% contained any health claim). In comparison to the 2012 survey, we observed a rising trend in the presence of NHCs; the use of nutrition claims on food products increased three times and the use of health claims increased 1.3 times in the ...
The traditional function attributed to white adipose tissue of energy storage in the form of trig... more The traditional function attributed to white adipose tissue of energy storage in the form of triglycerides has been challenged by results from recent studies, showing that adipose tissue is, in fact, a highly active metabolic and endocrine organ. A radical change in perspective followed the discovery of a large number of proteins secreted from white adipocytes, such as leptin, resistin, adiponectin, adipsin, acylation-stimulating protein, angiotensinogen, tumour necrosis factor a, interleukin-6, retinol-binding protein, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, tissue factor, fasting-induced adipose factor, fibrinogen/angiopoetin-related protein, and metallothionein. The effects of specific proteins may be either autocrine or paracrine, meaning that they might act in adipose tissue itself or in more distant target tissues. Some of these proteins induce insulin resistance, some play a role in glucose and lipid metabolism, some are inflammatory cytokines, while others are involved in vascular haemostasis. The key challenges for future investigations of adipose tissue's secretory functions will be to identify all of its secreted proteins, to establish the function of each secreted protein, and to assess the pathophysiological consequences of changes in adipocyte protein production due to problems, such as obesity, fasting, or diabetes mellitus type 2.
Max Josef von Pettenkofer was one of the leading personalities in the world of medicine in the 19... more Max Josef von Pettenkofer was one of the leading personalities in the world of medicine in the 19th century. He was the founder of the modern science of hygiene. In his experimental work, he was involved in the research of problems dealing with the relationship between human beings and the environment, including such topics as soil and air pollution, water supply, sewage water management, room ventilation and heating, as well as the function of clothing and the cleanliness of homes and streets. Pettenkofer also studied the onset, the course, and the consequences of infectious diseases, such as cholera and typhus. He realised the great economic value of public health and emphasised that personal preventive measures should be supplemented with the improvement of factors in communal and work environments. His efforts lead to hygiene becoming a part of medical studies in 1865. The Institute for Hygiene at the School of Medicine in Munich was established in 1879. It was constructed according to his drawings and was considered to be the most modern institute for hygiene in the world. Since hygiene was a subject on the school curriculum in the German Empire in 1882, Pettenkofer became the Chairman of Hygiene in Berlin in 1885. Research institutions established by Pettenkofer and the fact that many of his students became professors of hygiene speak about the importance of his work. One of his students was professor Milan Jovanović Batut, founder of the Institute for Hygiene at the School of Medicine in Belgrade.
Background: Precautionary allergen labels (PAL) should be used to indicate the possibility of all... more Background: Precautionary allergen labels (PAL) should be used to indicate the possibility of allergen presence in the food. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and types of precautionary labeling statements on different pre-packaged food products in retail stores in Belgrade, Serbia, as well as to assess consumers’ attitudes and behavior towards PAL statements. Methods: This was a descriptive study. The following characteristics of 1404 pre-packaged foods were analyzed: prevalence of PAL, listed food allergens on PAL, and the types of the advisory terminology. In the group of 275 participants (94 with food allergies, and 181 persons who purchasing food for a household member with food allergy) reading practice of PAL, purchasing practice based on PAL, and the opinion about PAL statements credibility were evaluated. Results: Overall, 33.9% of products had precautionary statements for one or more allergens. “Tree nuts” were the most common allergens listed in the PAL. The most common type of PAL was “May contain traces of x [allergen]” (52.7%). The PAL was always read by half of the participants. Less than half (43.3%) of the participants incorrectly believed that PAL is regulated by national law. A quarter of participants thought that the PAL statements are trustworthy. Conclusion: PAL statements frequently are not user-friendly and are not providing sufficient protection for food allergic patients. To gain buyers’ confidence, protect health and provide security, the necessity for the strategies that would regulate PAL by the law exists.
Research on the cardiovascular effects of noise in Serbia started in the year 2002, including exp... more Research on the cardiovascular effects of noise in Serbia started in the year 2002, including experimental studies on humans and epidemiological studies on the adult and children population of Belgrade and Pancevo. Experimental exposure to noise [L eq = 89 dB (A)] had a hypodynamic effect, significantly lowering the cardiac index, cardiac work, and pump performance (P < 0.01). The vasoconstrictive effect of noise was shown through the significant elevation of after-load (P < 0.01). In a cross-sectional population study that was carried out on 2874 residents [1243 males and 1631 females] in Pancevo City, a significant odds ratio (adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), and smoking habits) was found for self-reported hypertension (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.0 - 2.4, P < 0.01) in men with a high level of noise annoyance compared to those with a low level of noise annoyance. In another study on 2503 residents (995 men and 1508 women) residents of Belgrade, the proportions of men with hypertension in the noisy [(L night , 8h > 45 dB (A)] and quiet areas [(L night , 8h ≤ 45 dB (A)] were 23.6% and 17.5%, respectively. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for hypertension of the exposed group was 1.58 (95% CI = 1.03 - 2.42, P = 0.038), where men living in quiet streets were taken as a reference category. Associations between road traffic noise and blood pressure were also investigated in 328 preschool children in Belgrade. The systolic blood pressure was significantly higher among children from noisy residences and kindergartens, compared to children from both quiet environments (97.30 ± 8.15 and 92.33 ± 8.64 mmHg, respectively, P < 0.01). As a continuation of the study on preschool children, investigations were also carried out on 856 school children, aged between seven and eleven years, in Belgrade. It was found that systolic pressure was significantly higher among children from noisy schools and quiet residences, compared to children from both quiet environments (102.1 ± 9,3 and 100.4 ± 10.4 mmHg, respectively, P < 0.01).
Provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health care facilities is a p... more Provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health care facilities is a priority at the global, national, and local levels. To inform improvements planning, conditions of WASH, waste management, and environmental cleaning were assessed in 81 facilities in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia, as part of a nationally representative survey in 2019. The survey included on-site checks, structured interviews, and drinking-water quality analysis. WHO/UNICEF indicators for WASH service levels and an advanced service level defined at the national level were applied. The results showed that all investigated facilities provided basic water services; 94% of facilities provided basic hygiene and waste management services; 58 and 2%, respectively, provided basic cleaning and sanitation services. Only 1% of investigated facilities met the basic level for all five WASH dimensions. Advanced service levels were only met for hygiene, waste management, and/or cleaning i...
The Belgrade team for biological effects of noise, comprising experts in the fields of hygiene an... more The Belgrade team for biological effects of noise, comprising experts in the fields of hygiene and cardiology, has carried out population studies in Belgrade on the sample of 2503 adults, 328 preschool children and 1113 schoolchildren to investigate the effects of urban noise on blood pressure. In the first phase of investigation acoustic measurements were performed on 115 streets of the central municipality "Stari grad" as a typical urban environment. Blood pressure measurements were performed using mercury sphygmomanometer in those subjects who did not have a diagnosed hypertension and were not under antihypertensive therapy. Among adults living in the streets with equivalent noise level (Leq) exceeding 45 dB (A) there was a significantly higher number of people with hypertension compared to areas with Leq ≤ 45 dB (A) (23.6% vs.17.5%). After statistical adjustments according to family history of hypertension, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking habits, physical activity ...
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a global strategic framework of seventeen goals to... more The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a global strategic framework of seventeen goals to be achieved within a decade. The recent Progress Report shows that Serbia made steps toward reaching targets within the sustainable development goal (SDG) 6 related to the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. While 82% of the population in urban areas has access to safe drinking water, the country needs to regulate water supply systems and individual water sources in rural areas. Hygienically correct water is a prerequisite for preventing the transmission of fecal-oral diseases. The biggest challenge under the SDG 6 is safe sanitation management, available to 18% of the population. A national on-site study in Serbia identified issues with the containment, emptying, transport, and final disposal of excreta. The key actions must be connecting households to public sewers, regulating management of septic tanks, and investing in environmentally safe wastew...
Nutrition and health claims (NHCs) are a powerful tool that influence consumers’ final decision o... more Nutrition and health claims (NHCs) are a powerful tool that influence consumers’ final decision on the choice of food products. The purposes of this repeated cross-sectional study were to (i) assess the prevalence of pre-packaged food products containing nutrition and health claims among different food categories, (ii) to determine the type of NHCs labelled on the examined food products, and (iii) to evaluate the trend in the use of NHCs in comparison to the 2012 survey. The survey was conducted immediately before the full enforcement of the new national legislation on NHCs in 2020. It comprised 3141 pre-packaged food products from 10 product categories. In total, 21.2% of food products contained any claim (19.4% contained any nutrition claim; 8.2% contained any health claim). In comparison to the 2012 survey, we observed a rising trend in the presence of NHCs; the use of nutrition claims on food products increased three times and the use of health claims increased 1.3 times in the ...
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