11. Effects of COVID-19 on cognition and mood after hospitalization and at 2-month follow-upManca Peskar, Boštjan Šimunič, Luka Šlosar, Saša Pišot, Kaja Teraž, Mladen Gasparini, Rado Pišot, Uroš Marušič, 2023, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: A plethora of evidence links SARS-CoV-2 infection with concomitant cognitive dysfunction, which often persists weeks to months after the acute stages of illness and affects executive function, attention, memory, orientation, and movement control. It remains largely unclear which conditions or factors exacerbate the recovery. In a cohort of N=37 Slovenian patients (5 females, aged M = 58, SD = 10.7 years) that were hospitalized because of COVID-19, the cognitive function and mood states were assessed immediately after discharge and 2-months later to investigate the early post-COVID recovery changes. We assessed the global Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Simple and Choice Reaction Times, executive functions (Trail-Making Test – TMT-A and TMT-B), short-term memory (Auditory Verbal Learning Test – AVLT), and visuospatial memory. We monitored depressive and anxiety symptoms and applied general self-efficacy and cognitive complaints questionnaires. Our results showed a global cognitive impairment (MoCA, Z = 332.5; p = 0.012), poorer performance on executive functions (TMT-A, Z = 188; p = 0.014; and TMT-B, Z = 185; p = 0.012), verbal memory (AVLT, F = 33.4; p < 0.001), and delayed recall (AVLT7, F = 17.1; p < 0.001), and higher depressive (Z = 145; p = 0.015) and anxiety (Z = 141; p = 0.003) symptoms after hospital discharge compared to 2-month follow-up, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 may transiently impair cognitive function and adversely affect the mood. No improvement in MoCA was observed in 40.5% of the patients at follow-up, indicating possible long-term effects of COVID-19 on global cognitive performance. Medical comorbidities (p = 0.035) significantly predicted the change in MoCA score over time, while fat mass (FM, p = 0.518), Mediterranean diet index (p = .0.944), and Florida Cognitive Activities Score (p = 0.927) did not. These results suggest that the patients’ medical comorbidities at the time of SARS-CoV-2 infection could importantly contribute to the acute impairment of cognitive function and stress the importance of systemic implementation of countermeasures to limit the negative consequences on public health.
Ključne besede: Coronavirus, recovery, acute respiratory sindrom, cognitive functions, cognitive impairment, MOCA, trail-making test
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 01.06.2023; Ogledov: 456; Prenosov: 207
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12. Alkali activation of metallurgical slags : reactivity, chemical behavior, and environmental assessmentIsabella Lancellotti, Federica Piccolo, Katja Traven, Mark Češnovar, Vilma Ducman, Cristina Leonelli, 2021, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) represent a promising alternative to conventional building materials and ceramics. Being produced in large amounts as aluminosilicate-rich secondary products, such as slags, they can be utilized for the formulation of AAMs. Slags are partially crystalline metallurgical residues produced during the high temperature separation of metallic and non-metallic materials in the steelmaking processes. In the present study, the electric arc furnace carbon or stainless steel slag (EAF) and secondary metallurgical slag such as ladle furnace basic slag (LS) were used as precursors in an alkali-activation process. EAF slag, with its amorphous fraction of about 56%, presented higher contents of soluble Si and Al species with respect to ladle slag R (35%). However, both are suitable to produce AAM. The leaching behavior shows that all the release values are below the regulation limit. All the bivalent ions (Ba, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) are well immobilized in a geopolymeric matrix, while amphoteric elements, such as As and Cr, show a slight increase of release with respect to the corresponding slag in alkaline and aqueous environments. In particular, for Sb and As of AAM, release still remains below the regulation limits, while Mo presents an increase of leaching values that slightly exceeds the limit for landfill non-dangerous waste.
Ključne besede: slag, aluminosilicate materials, chemical reactivity, cold consolidation, alkali activation, leaching test, open access
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 22.05.2023; Ogledov: 335; Prenosov: 172
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13. Report of RILEM TC 267-TRM phase 3 : validation of the R3 reactivity test across a wide range of materialsDiana Londono-Zuluaga, Sabina Dolenec, Maruša Mrak, 2022, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: RILEM TC 267 TRM– “Tests for Reactivity of Supplementary Cementitious Materials” recommends the Rapid Reliable Relevant (R3) test as a method for determining the chemical reactivity of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in Portland cement blends. In this paper, the R3 test was applied to 52 materials from a wide range of conventional and alternative SCMs with the aim to validate such test. An excellent correlation was found between the cumulative heat release and the bound water determined following the R3 test method. Comparison of the R3 test results to mortar compressive strength development showed that all conventional SCMs (e.g. blast furnace slag and fly ashes) followed the same trend, with the notable exception of very reactive calcined kaolinitic clays. It is discussed, through an in-depth statistical regression analysis of the R3 reactivity test results and the 28 days relative compressive strengths, how reactivity threshold values for classification of the chemical reactivity of SCMs could be proposed based on the R3 test results.
Ključne besede: supplementary cementitious materials, reactivity test, heat release, bound water, compressive strength
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 26.04.2023; Ogledov: 249; Prenosov: 139
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14. Report of RILEM TC 267-TRM phase 2 : optimization and testing of the robustness of the R3 reactivity tests for supplementary cementitious materialsFrançois Avet, Sabina Dolenec, Maruša Mrak, 2022, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: The results of phase 1 of an interlaboratory test, coordinated by the RILEM TC 267-TRM “Tests for Reactivity of Supplementary Cementitious Materials” showed that the R3 (rapid, relevant, reliable) test method, by measurement of heat release or bound water, provided the most reliable and relevant determination of the chemical reactivity of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), compared to other test methods. The phase 2 work, described in this paper aimed to improve the robustness of the test procedure and to develop precision statements for the consolidated test procedure. The effect of the pre-mixing and mixing conditions, and the impact of the mix design on the test method robustness were assessed and fixed for optimal conditions to carry out the R3 heat release test. The effect of the drying step was evaluated to define the R3 bound water test procedure in more detail. Finally, the robustness of the consolidated final test methods was determined by an interlaboratory study to define the precision statements.
Ključne besede: supplementary cementitious materials, reactivity test, bound water
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 26.04.2023; Ogledov: 308; Prenosov: 121
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15. Phytochemicals and their correlation with molecular data in micromeria and Clinopodium (Lamiaceae) taxaDario Kremer, Valerija Dunkić, Ivan Radosavljević, Faruk Bogunić, Daniella Ivanova, Dalibor Ballian, Danijela Stešević, Vlado Matevski, Vladimir Ranđelović, Eleni Eleftheriadou, Zlatko Šatović, Zlatko Liber, 2022, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: A study of the phytochemical and molecular characteristics of ten Micromeria and six Clinopodium taxa (family Lamiaceae) distributed in the Balkan Peninsula was carried out. The phytochemicals detected in essential oils by gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and molecular data amplified fragment length polymorphism were used to study the taxonomic relationships among the taxa and the correlations between phytochemical and molecular data. STRUCTURE analysis revealed three genetic groups, while Bayesian Analysis of Population Structure grouped the studied taxa into 11 clusters nested in the groups obtained by STRUCTURE. Principal components analysis performed with the 21 most represented compounds in the essential oils yielded results that were partly consistent with those obtained by STRUCTURE and neighbour-joining analyses. However, their geographic distributions did not support the genetic grouping of the studied taxa and populations. The Mantel test showed a significant correlation between the phytochemical and genetic data (r = 0.421, p < 0.001). Genetic distance explained 17.8% of the phytochemical distance between populations. The current taxonomic position of several of the studied taxa is yet to be satisfactorily resolved, and further studies are needed. Such future research should include nuclear and plastid DNA sequences from a larger sample of populations and individuals.
Ključne besede: AFLP, Balkan peninsula, BAPS, essential oils, Mantel test, PCA, structure
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 08.03.2023; Ogledov: 414; Prenosov: 201
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16. Statistical approach to interpretation of geochemical data of stream sediment in Pleše mining areaSimona Jarc, 2022, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: The Ba, Pb and Zn ore deposit Pleše near Ljubljana is one of the formerly productive mines. The stream sediments were sampled and analysed by XRF to establish the effect of grain size, mineralization, and downstream location of sampling sites on geochemical composition based on various statistical analyses. Statistical analyses of the geochemical data confirm the impact of mineralization. The parametric t-test, non-parametric Mann-Whitney test and cluster analysis showed only minor differences in the geochemical composition of the samples with different grain sizes (< 0.063 mm and 0.063-2 mm). The parametric and non-parametric correlation coefficients as well as cluster analysis indicate that the contents of Si, Al, K, Rb, and Fe are associated with weathered rock forming minerals such as micas, and clay minerals, whereas Nb and Zr are associated with minerals resistant to weathering. Ca and Mg are associated with carbonates. S, Ba, Sr, Pb, Zn, and Mn indicate local mineralization with sulphates and sulphides. The results of the t-test and analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney tests and Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA of the groups established by the cluster analysis confirm that the contents of Ba, Pb and Sr have a statistically significant influence on the classification of the cluster group - i.e., the influence of sediment mineralization. There are no differences in elemental contents in the sediment samples downstream. The statistical approach to evaluate the geochemical data has proven useful and provides a good basis for further interpretation.
Ključne besede: ANOVA, t-test, correlation, cluster analysis, XRF, mineralization
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 18.01.2023; Ogledov: 460; Prenosov: 212
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18. Testa QuantiFERON TB in TB Plus v Sloveniji v obdobju 2008–2019Urška Skamen, Eva Sodja, Marija Žolnir-Dovč, 2022, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Izhodišča: Test QuantiFERON TB (QFT TB) je prvenstveno namenjen za odkrivanje latentne (LTBI) okužbe z bacili tuberkuloze (TB). Članek obsega retrospektivno analizo rezultatov testa QFT TB v Sloveniji med letoma 2008 in 2019, opozarja na vplive predanalitskih dejavnikov na rezultate testa ter govori o razlogih za nastanek nejasnih rezultatov in o občutljivosti testa pri bolnikih z aktivno obliko TB. Metode: V obdobju 2008–2019 smo v Laboratoriju za mikobakterije Klinike Golnik s testom QFT TB testirali 29.352 vzorcev krvi bolnikov iz različnih zdravstvenih ustanov v Sloveniji. Na rezultatih testa QFT TB smo izvedli retrospektivno analizo. Rezultati: Delež pozitivnih rezultatov testa QFT TB se z leti postopno znižuje. V letu 2008 je znašal 20,8 %, v letu 2019 pa 10,7 %, kar pomeni, da je v zadnjih dvanajstih letih upadel za 48,6 %. Največjo težavo predstavljajo nejasni rezultati (letno povprečno 4,3 %), saj so za zdravnika nepovedni. Občutljivost testa QFT TB pri bolnikih z aktivno obliko TB je 82,9 %, kar je primerljivo s podatki iz tujine. Zaključek: Pomembno je, da pri odvzemu in pošiljanju krvi dosledno sledimo navodilom, saj je test QFT TB zelo občutljiv na predanalitske dejavnike in klinično stanje preiskovancev. Delež pozitivnih rezultatov testa QFT TB z leti pospešeno upada, kar je povezano z napori za omejitev širjenja TB in upadom primerov aktivne TB v naši državi.
Ključne besede: tuberkuloza - 2008-2019, Mycobacterium tuberculosis - 2008-2019, latentna tuberkuloza - 2008-2019, Slovenija, test QuantiFERON TB, predanalitski dejavniki, nejasen rezultat
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 29.08.2022; Ogledov: 576; Prenosov: 184
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