University of Zagreb

About: University of Zagreb is a education organization based out in Zagreb, Grad Zagreb, Croatia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & European union. The organization has 21769 authors who have published 50267 publications receiving 783239 citations. The organization is also known as: Zagreb University & Sveučilište u Zagrebu.

Quantitative analysis of the flavonoids in raw propolis from northern Croatia

Abstract: Spectrometric analyses of flavonoids in twenty propolis samples collected from ten different geographic localities in northern Croatia using two complementary methods, are reported. Flavones and flavonols were determined using aluminum chloride and expressed as quercetine equivalent while flavanones were determined using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine and expressed as naringenin. Contents of flavones and flavonols were similar for most samples and ranged from 2 to 2.3%, except for one sample with a concentration of 1.3% and one sample in which it was not possible to detect flavones and flavonols. The content of flavanones in propolis samples is very variable. 55% of samples contain flavanons between 15 and 24% and 45% of samples between 4 and 14%. Total levels of flavonoids in raw propolis samples ranged between 5 and 26%; for the majority of samples (75%), the total level of flavonoids ranged between 15 and 25.9%. The high variability of flavanone concentration will affect biological activity of propolis preparations.

Antifungal activity of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) essential oil and thymol against moulds from damp dwellings.

Abstract: Aims: To characterize antifungal activities of essential oil of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) and pure thymol, as comparative substance, on different mould species isolated from damp dwellings. Methods and Results: Fifty samples of wall scrapes were collected from damp dwellings in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. The members of the following mould genera were recovered from the samples: Aspergillus (44%), Penicillium (18%) Alternaria, Ulocladium, Absidia and Mucor (8%) Cladosporium, Trichoderma and Rhizopus (6%), and Chaetomium (2%). Two strains of Stachybotrys chartarum were isolated from damp dwellings in Slovakia. Antifungal activities of the thyme essential oil, which contains p-cymene (36.5%), thymol (33.0%) and 1,8-cineole (11.3%) as main components, and pure thymol were determined by the dilution method and exposure to vaporous phase of the oil. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of both thymol and essential oil were bellow 20 μg ml−1, except for Mucor spp. (50.20 μg ml−1). Thymol exhibited approximately three-times stronger inhibition than essential oil of thyme. The vaporous phase of the thyme essential oil (82 μg l−1) in glass chambers strongly suppressed the sporulation of moulds during 60 days of exposure. Conclusion: The thyme essential oil possesses a wide range spectrum of fungicidal activity. The vaporous phase of the oil exhibited long-lasting suppressive activity on moulds from damp dwellings. Significance and Impact of the Study: Essential oil of thyme and thymol could be used for disinfection of mouldy walls in the dwellings in low concentration.

Measuring depression: Comparison and integration of three scales in the GENDEP study

Abstract: BACKGROUND: A number of scales are used to estimate the severity of depression. However, differences between self-report and clinician rating, multi-dimensionality and different weighting of individual symptoms in summed scores may affect the validity of measurement. In this study we examined and integrated the psychometric properties of three commonly used rating scales. METHOD: The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered to 660 adult patients with unipolar depression in a multi-centre pharmacogenetic study. Item response theory (IRT) and factor analysis were used to evaluate their psychometric properties and estimate true depression severity, as well as to group items and derive factor scores. RESULTS: The MADRS and the BDI provide internally consistent but mutually distinct estimates of depression severity. The HAMD-17 is not internally consistent and contains several items less suitable for out-patients. Factor analyses indicated a dominant depression factor. A model comprising three dimensions, namely 'observed mood and anxiety', 'cognitive' and 'neurovegetative', provided a more detailed description of depression severity. CONCLUSIONS: The MADRS and the BDI can be recommended as complementary measures of depression severity. The three factor scores are proposed for external validation.

Potential Analysis of Stable Processes and its Extensions

Abstract: Boundary Potential Theory for Schr#x00F6 dinger Operators Based on Fractional Laplacian.- Nontangential Convergence for #x03B1 -harmonic Functions.- Eigenvalues and Eigenfunctions for Stable Processes.- Potential Theory of Subordinate Brownian Motion.