Tussilago farfara L., also known as coltsfoot, is a plant that has been used since ancient times to relieve coughs. Subsequently, the effectiveness of coltsfoot in the treatment of bronchial asthma, pneumonia and other respiratory diseases was established. In this research, the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of different coltsfoot extracts was analyzed. The antioxidant activity was monitored through the DPPH radical inhibition efficiency and the extract's reducing ability. Antibacterial activity was tested using the diffusion technique. Tussilago farfara L. extracts showed extremely high antioxidant activity in in vitro conditions. The highest antioxidant capacity was found in extracts prepared by mixing water and organic solvents. High antibacterial activity was found for ethanolic, acetone and aqueous-ethanolic extracts of coltsfoot.

Introduction: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are the most common skin malignancies in the heterogeneous group of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Due to increasing incidence these tumours remain significant health problem worldwide. Methods: We conducted retrospective analysis to evaluate the incidence of primary BCCs and SCCs in our institution from 2003 to 2022, and to correlate it with available clinical data. Results: We noticed that the incidence of NMSC increased between 2018 and 2022 (p<0.01). Among 1570 patients diagnosed with NMSC, BCC represented 77.9% of cases. BCC was constantly more common type of NMSC with statistically significant difference in the period from 2003-2005 and in the period from 2017- 2022 (p<0.01). Nodular subtype of the BCC was the most common, affecting primarily face. Superficial BCC occurred most commonly on trunk (p<0.01), affecting younger patients than the other histological subtypes (mean age 61.29±13.47 years (p<0.01). High-risk BCCs in men were more common on face and scalp (p<0.05). BCCs were predominantly smaller tumours (<2 cm) in contrast to SCCs with highest incidence in pT2-pT4 group (p<0.01). SCC patients were older (mean age 72.89±9.7) than BCC patients (mean age 65.15±12.80) (p<0.01). Conclusion: In order to improve prevention strategies and prevent further increase in incidence, there is need to develop current and exact registries of these malignancies, especially separately BCC and SCC.

Perception of sounds and speech involves structures in the auditory brainstem that rapidly process ongoing auditory stimuli. The role of these structures in speech processing can be investigated by measuring their electrical activity using scalp-mounted electrodes. However, typical analysis methods involve averaging neural responses to many short repetitive stimuli that bear little relevance to daily listening environments. Recently, subcortical responses to more ecologically relevant continuous speech were detected using linear encoding models. These methods estimate the temporal response function (TRF), which is a regression model that minimises the error between the measured neural signal and a predictor derived from the stimulus. Using predictors that model the highly non-linear peripheral auditory system may improve linear TRF estimation accuracy and peak detection. Here, we compare predictors from both simple and complex peripheral auditory models for estimating brainstem TRFs on electroencephalography (EEG) data from 24 participants listening to continuous speech. We also discuss the data length required for estimating subcortical TRFs with clear peaks. Interestingly, predictors from simple models resulted in TRFs that were similar to those estimated using complex models, and were much faster to compute. This work paves the way for efficient modelling and detection of subcortical processing of continuous speech, which may lead to improved diagnosis metrics for hearing impairment and assistive hearing technology.

Background Plant-beneficial bacterial inoculants are of great interest in agriculture as they have the potential to promote plant growth and health. However, the inoculation of the rhizosphere microbiome often results in a suboptimal or transient colonization, which is due to a variety of factors that influence the fate of the inoculant. To better understand the fate of plant-beneficial inoculants in complex rhizosphere microbiomes, composed by hundreds of genotypes and multifactorial selection mechanisms, controlled studies with high-complexity soil microbiomes are needed. Results We analysed early compositional changes in a taxa-rich natural soil bacterial community under both exponential nutrient-rich and stationary nutrient-limited growth conditions (i.e. growing and stable communities, respectively) following inoculation with the plant-beneficial bacterium Pseudomonas protegens in a bulk soil or a wheat rhizosphere environment. P. protegens successfully established under all conditions tested and was more abundant in the rhizosphere of the stable community. Nutrient availability was a major factor driving microbiome composition and structure as well as the underlying assembly processes. While access to nutrients resulted in communities assembled mainly by homogeneous selection, stochastic processes dominated under the nutrient-deprived conditions. We also observed an increased rhizosphere selection effect under nutrient-limited conditions, resulting in a higher number of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) whose relative abundance was enriched. The inoculation with P. protegens produced discrete changes, some of which involved other Pseudomonas . Direct competition between Pseudomonas strains partially failed to replicate the observed differences in the microbiome and pointed to a more complex interaction network. Conclusions The results of this study show that nutrient availability is a major driving force of microbiome composition, structure and diversity in both the bulk soil and the wheat rhizosphere and determines the assembly processes that govern early microbiome development. The successful establishment of the inoculant was facilitated by the wheat rhizosphere and produced discrete changes among other members of the microbiome. Direct competition between Pseudomonas strains only partially explained the microbiome changes, indicating that indirect interactions or spatial distribution in the rhizosphere or soil interface may be crucial for the survival of certain bacteria. Video Abstract

Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a biomarker of neuroaxonal loss in multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective: The objective was to assess the relative role of OCT, next to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and serum markers of disability in MS. Methods: A total of 100 patients and 52 controls underwent OCT to determine peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layers (GCIPL). Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL), total lesion volume (TLV), and brain parenchymal fraction (BPF) were also assessed. The associations of OCT with disability were examined in linear regression models with correction for age, vision, and education. Results: In patients, pRNFL was associated with the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT; p = 0.030). In the multivariate analysis including sNfL and MRI measures, pRNFL (β = 0.19, p = 0.044) and TLV (β = −0.24, p = 0.023) were the only markers associated with the SDMT. pRNFL (p < 0.001) and GCIPL (p < 0.001) showed associations with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). In the multivariate analysis, GCIPL showed the strongest association with the EDSS (β = −0.32, p < 0.001) followed by sNfL (β = 0.18, p = 0.024). Conclusion: The associations of OCT measures with cognitive and physical disability were independent of serum and brain MRI markers of neuroaxonal loss. OCT can be an important tool for stratification in MS, while longitudinal studies using combinations of biomarkers are warranted.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the rapidly evolving RNA virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, has spawned numerous variants since its 2019 emergence. The multifunctional NSP14 enzyme, possessing exonuclease and mRNA capping capabilities, serves as a key player. Notably, single and co-occurring mutations within NSP14 significantly influence replication fidelity and drive variant diversification. This study comprehensively examines 120 co-mutations, 68 unique mutations, and 160 conserved residues across NSP14 homologs, shedding light on their implications for phylogenetic patterns, pathogenicity, and residue interactions. Quantitative physicochemical analysis categorizes 3953 NSP14 variants into three clusters, revealing genetic diversity. This research underscores the dynamic nature of SARS-CoV-2 evolution, primarily governed by NSP14 mutations. Understanding these genetic dynamics provides valuable insights for therapeutic and vaccine development.

Otvoreni obrazovni sadržaji su značajan i opravdan predmet interesovanja visokoškolskih biblioteka, a posebno nakon pojave globalne pandemije COVID-19, koja je prouzrokovala brojne promjene u sistemu visokoškolskog obrazovanja, kojima su se visokoškolske biblioteke morale prilagoditi, kako bi nastavile davati potrebnu značajnu podršku naučnoistraživačkom i obrazovnom procesu na visokoškolskim institucijama. S tim u vezi, cilj ovoga istraživanja je utvrditi u kojoj mjeri visokoškolske biblioteke Univerziteta u Sarajevu pružaju usluge povezane sa otvorenim obrazovnim sadržajima, koje su, prema mišljenju bibliotekara, prednosti uvođenja takvih usluga i kako se iste mogu dodatno unaprijediti u postpandemijskom okruženju. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da anketirane biblioteke nude određene usluge povezane sa otvorenim obrazovnim sadržajima, ali i da u uvođenju takvih oblika usluga bibliotekari nailaze na izvjesne prepreke, u vezi s kojima se posebno izdvajaju sigurna i dugoročna pohrana otvorenih obrazovnih sadržaja, te neprepoznavanje značajne uloge visokoškolskih bibliotekara u inicijativama otvorenih obrazovnih sadržaja.

Heavy metals as environmental pollutants can have natural or anthropogenic origin. To determine the river sediment pollution status, it is crucial to have appropriate reference samples, free of anthropogenic impact, and natural reference samples should be used wherever and whenever possible. The collection of reference samples should be performed in the vicinity of the research area in a place that belongs to the same geological environment and is undisturbed by human activity. The main purpose of this study was to compare concentrations of heavy metals from different rivers with background values to show that the usage of natural background values is the best option when assessing pollution status, but also to underline that the natural background values have to correspond to the analyzed sediments. In this study, 5 river sediments from Sava, 17 from Great War Island (GWI), 11 from Danube, 24 from Tisa, 47 from Tamiš, and 11 from Timok were evaluated relative to reference samples from the Sava and Tisa Rivers. The results indicate that geological origin has a strong influence on the content of heavy metals in river sediments, primarily regarding concentrations of Ni and Co. Furthermore, Tamiš, Tisa, Sava, and Danube sediments are under strong anthropogenic influence.

Abstract Unfounded—conspiracy and health—beliefs about COVID-19 have accompanied the pandemic worldwide. Here, we examined cross-nationally the structure and correlates of these beliefs with an 8-item scale, using a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. We obtained a two-factor model of unfounded (conspiracy and health) beliefs with good internal structure (average CFI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.05, SRMR = 0.04), but a high correlation between the two factors (average latent factor correlation = 0.57). This model was replicable across 50 countries (total N = 13,579), as evidenced by metric invariance between countries (CFI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMS = 0.07) as well as scalar invariance across genders (CFI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.04, SRMS = 0.03) and educational levels (CFI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.04, SRMS = 0.03). Also, lower levels of education, more fear of COVID-19, and more cynicism were weakly associated with stronger conspiracy and health beliefs. The study contributes to knowledge about the structure of unfounded beliefs, and reveals the potential relevance of affective (i.e., fear of COVID-19) and cognitive (i.e., cynicism) factors along with demographics, in endorsing such beliefs. In summary, we obtained cross-cultural evidence for the distinctiveness of unfounded conspiracy and health beliefs about COVID-19 in terms of their structure and correlates.

Topoelectrical circuits are meta-material realizations of topological features of condensed matter systems. In this work, we discuss experimental methods that allow a fast and straightforward detection of the spectral features of these systems from the two-point impedance of the circuit. This allows to deduce the full spectrum of a topoelectrical circuit consisting of N sites from a single two-point measurement of the frequency resolved impedance. In contrast, the standard methods rely on $N^2$ measurements of admittance matrix elements with a subsequent diagonalization on a computer. We experimentally test our approach by constructing a Fibonacci topoelectrical circuit. Although the spectrum of this chain is fractal, i.e., more complex than the spectra of periodic systems, our approach is successful in recovering its eigenvalues. Our work promotes the topoelectrical circuits as an ideal platform to measure spectral properties of various (quasi)crystalline systems.

The sustainable development of mountain tourism is crucial for preserving the delicate ecosystems and resources found in these unique landscapes. This research paper investigates the sustainability of mountain lodges, which serve as essential facilities for delivering mountain tourism services. To assess sustainability, expert decision making involving eight selected experts was employed. A hybrid approach combining the IMF SWARA (IMproved Fuzzy Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis) method with Fuzzy Dombi Aggregation Operators was utilized to determine the weights of various sustainability criteria. The IMF SWARA method assigned initial weights based on expert input, which were subsequently adjusted using Fuzzy Dombi Aggregation Operators. The findings highlight the significance of two key criteria as per expert evaluations: the quality of the services offered (C21) and the preservation of natural resources (C15). To rank and evaluate the mountain lodges, the fuzzy CRADIS (Compromise Ranking of Alternatives from Distance to Ideal Solution) method was employed, ultimately identifying Zabrana (ML6) as the top-ranked mountain lodge. The validity of these results was confirmed through result validation and sensitivity analysis. This research contributes by providing insights into the current state of mountain tourism and offering guidelines for enhancing the overall mountain tourism experience through the integration of fuzzy methods.

Background and aim Paraneoplastic coagulopathy can present as stroke and is associated with specific biomarker changes. Identifying paraneoplastic coagulopathy can help guide secondary prevention in stroke patients, and early cancer detection might improve outcomes. However, unlike ischemic stroke, it remains unclear whether paraneoplastic coagulopathy is associated with transient ischemic attacks (TIA). This study assessed the presence of cancer-related biomarkers in TIA patients and evaluated long-term mortality rates in patients with and without active cancer. Methods Active cancer was retrospectively identified in consecutive TIA patients treated at a comprehensive stroke center between 2015 and 2019. An association between the presence of cancer and cancer-related biomarkers was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Long-term mortality after TIA was analyzed using multivariable Cox regression. Results Among 1436 TIA patients, 72 had active cancer (5%), of which 17 were occult (1.2%). Cancer-related TIA was associated with male gender (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.29, 95% CI 1.12–4.68), history of smoking (aOR 2.77, 95% CI 1.34–5.7), elevated D-dimer (aOR 1.77, 95% CI 1.26–2.49), lactate dehydrogenase (aOR 1.003, 95% CI 1.00–1.005), lower leukocyte count (aOR 1.20, 95% CI 1.04–1.38), and lower hemoglobin (aOR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00–1.04). Long-term mortality was associated with both active cancer (adjusted hazard ratios [aHR] 2.47, 95% CI 1.58–3.88) and occult cancer (aHR 3.08, 95% CI 1.30–7.32). Conclusion Cancer-related TIA is not uncommon. Biomarkers known to be associated with cancer-related stroke also seem to be present in TIA patients. Early identification would enable targeted treatment strategies and could improve outcomes in this patient population.