Prevalence of obesity and impact of socio-demographic factors on obesity in 15-19 years old adolescents in Vojvodina, Serbia.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of overweight/obesity in 15-19 years old adolescents in the Province of Vojvodina, Serbia, and to evaluate the association between obesity and socio-demographic factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in high schools in the territory of Vojvodina, Serbia. The sample consisted of 986 high-school students (47.

NO modulates the molecular basis of rat interscapular brown adipose tissue thermogenesis.

Molecular mechanisms underlying interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) thermogenesis were elucidated. Namely, gene and/or protein expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), PPARgamma-coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) - key molecules that regulate thermogenesis-related processes - mitochondriogenesis, angiogenesis and IBAT hyperplasia, in rats subjected to cold (4+/-1 degrees C) for 1, 3, 7, 12, 21 and 45days were investigated. Particularly, to examine influence of nitric oxide (NO) on IBAT thermogenic-program, cold-exposed animals were treated by l-arginine or N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME).

Antioxidative defense and mitochondrial thermogenic response in brown adipose tissue.

Cold-exposure activates interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) non-shivering thermogenesis that relies primarily on intensification of metabolic rate and uncoupling. During cold-acclimation, uncoupling in IBAT decreases superoxide (O(2) (·-)) production and as an adaptive response the activities of manganese and copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (Mn- and CuZn-SOD, respectively) are decreased, as well. However, molecular mechanisms governing this SODs adaptive response are still unsolved.

l-Arginine supplementation induces glutathione synthesis in interscapular brown adipose tissue through activation of glutamate-cysteine ligase expression: The role of nitric oxide.

We examined whether nitric oxide (NO) in vivo could induce interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) glutathione synthesis. Data show that NO induces in vivo IBAT glutathione synthesis through activation of glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL) mRNA and protein expression. This NO effect appeared to be mediated by nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation.

Leptin immunoexpression and innervation in rat interscapular brown adipose tissue of cold-acclimated rats: the effects of L-arginine and L-NAME.

The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of nitric oxide on leptin immunoexpression and innervation in interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) of room- and cold- acclimated rats. Animals acclimated both to room-temperature (22 +/- 1 degrees C) and cold (4 +/- 1 degrees C) were treated with L-arginine, a substrate for nitric oxide synthases (NOSs), or N?-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of NOSs, for 45 days. Leptin expression and localization in brown adipocytes was studied by immunohistochemistry, and innervation stained by the Bodian method.

Antioxidative defence alterations in skeletal muscle during prolonged acclimation to cold: role of L-arginine/NO-producing pathway.

Early in cold acclimation (1-7 days), heat is produced by shivering, while late in cold acclimation (12-45 days), skeletal muscle contributes to thermogenesis by tissue metabolism other than contractions. Given that both thermogenic phases augment skeletal muscle aerobic power and reactive species production, we aimed in this study to examine possible changes in skeletal muscle antioxidative defence (AD) during early and late cold acclimation with special emphasis on the influence of the L-arginine/nitric oxide (NO)-producing pathway on the modulation of AD in this tissue. Adult Mill Hill hybrid hooded rat males were divided into two main groups: a control group, which was kept at room temperature (22+/-1 degrees C), and a group maintained at 4+/-1 degrees C for 45 days.

Interrelationship of antioxidative status, lipid peroxidation, and lipid profile in insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients.

This study aimed to investigate the interrelationship of plasma lipid profile, lipid peroxidation, and erythrocyte antioxidative defense in patients with insulin-dependent (IDDM) and non-insulin-dependent (NIDDM) diabetes mellitus. Plasma levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipid peroxides and the activities of copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), as well as the amount of glutathione in erythrocytes, were determined in IDDM, NIDDM, and nondiabetic control subjects. Additionally, morphology of erythrocytes in all subjects was examined.

Peak expiratory flow-guided self-management treatment of asthma in Serbia.

The aims of this study were to compare the efficacy of 1-year peak expiratory flow (PEF)-based self-management of asthma against conventional treatment and to analyze the long-term effectiveness of self-management. Eighty adult patients with persistent asthma (group B). After 1 year, significant improvement was noted in markers of asthma severity in group A but there were no changes in group B.

Beneficial effects of L-arginine nitric oxide-producing pathway in rats treated with alloxan.

In an attempt to elucidate molecular mechanisms and factors involved in beta cell regeneration, we evaluated a possible role of the L-arginine-nitric oxide (NO)-producing pathway in alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus. Diabetes was induced in male Mill Hill rats with a single alloxan dose (120 mg kg(-1)). Both non-diabetic and diabetic groups were additionally separated into three subgroups: (i) receiving L-arginine .

The effects of cold acclimation and nitric oxide on antioxidative enzymes in rat pancreas.

Alterations of pancreatic antioxidative defense (AD) and possible nitric oxide (NO) role in AD organization of adult rats receiving l-arginine.HCl (2.25%) or N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME.

Free radical equilibrium in interscapular brown adipose tissue: relationship between metabolic profile and antioxidative defense.

Interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) hyperplasia involves a new metabolic and structural profile, resulting from acclimation of animals to a cold environment. Cold-induced changes of several antioxidative defense (AD) components in IBAT and their interrelationship with uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), sympathetic innervation and apoptosis were studied using cold-acclimated adult rat males (4 +/- 1 degrees C, 45 days). Their age-matches were maintained at 22 +/- 1 degrees C serving as the controls.

The effects of L-arginine and L-NAME supplementation on redox-regulation and thermogenesis in interscapular brown adipose tissue.

Changes in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein levels and its relationship with the hyperplasia and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) levels were examined in interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) of adult rat males receiving L-arginine (L-Arg; 2.25%) or N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 0.01%) as a drinking liquid and maintained at low (4+/-1 degrees C) or room (22+/-1 degrees C) temperature for 45 days.

[Breast cancer incidence among women of Branicevo region in the period 1991-2000].

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, the second leading cause of cancer death, and the third most common cancer overall, throughout the world. In 1996, 910,000 new cases were diagnosed worldwide (about 9% of all new cases). Over 50% of breast cancer incidence occurred in the developed world.

Synthesis, intramolecular migrations and enzymic hydrolysis of partially pivaloylated methyl alpha-D-mannopyranosides.

A series of methyl O-pivaloyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosides was synthesized using pivaloyl chloride in pyridine. The 3,6-di-O-pivaloyl derivative 6 undergoes intramolecular transesterification in neutral conditions (buffer, pH 7.2) to give its 2,6-di-O-pivaloyl analogue 5.

Synthesis and intramolecular transesterifications of pivaloylated methyl alpha-D-galactopyranosides.

Selective pivaloylations of methyl alpha-D-galactopyranoside have been studied under various reaction conditions. Partially pivaloylated products were submitted to additional acetylations. The structures were established by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopies.