Browsing by Author "Davidović, Dragana (13614022900)"

Lateralization is one of the central questions in neurology, neuropsychology, and other related scientific disciplines. There has been very little change in the proportion of left-handers since the Upper Paleolithic Age about 10,000 years ago and it is estimated to be around 10%. As the history of human thinking has developed from superstition to science, the explanation of left-handedness transformed from “devil’s work” to neurological specificity. This paper presents this very interesting historical change by analyzing the data on left-handedness and the attitudes towards it in human societies from prehistory to today. Even in a relatively open-minded society, parents and teachers may encourage a left-handed child to switch to right-handedness to make their lives easier in a largely right-handed world. On the other hand, left-handedness is increasingly seen as a special gift, and left-handed people have started to favor themselves as more competent in relation to the right-handed people. © 2019, Serbia Medical Society. All rights reserved.

Background and aims: Silhouettes is self-reported measure of body image used as a method for estimating: current size, desired size and a discrepancy score, which is often used as a measure of body dissatisfaction. Several studies have looked at patients' perceptions of their weight and the accuracy of their impressions. The aim of the study was to find out if the discrepancies in silhouettes rating could be matched with weight loss goals projected by BMI, obtained both in patients and doctors. Methods: The silhouettes method was tested on 179 obese and overweight patients in out-patient dietetic unit and simultaneously in obese patients seeking treatment and their physicians. Results: The study has demonstrated that the magnitude of projected weight loss is very high, especially in female patients who expected their BMI after weight loss program to fit into normal range. Obese men projected their target BMI towards overweight cut-off point. Besides being very high in female patients, expected weight loss appeared to be much higher in patients in general in comparison to their physicians. Conclusion: The silhouette approach proved to be an accurate method for estimating nutritional status both when used by patients and physicians, and a useful easy-to-use tool during weight loss treatment. ©2010, Editrice Kurtis.

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 ana-lyzed: 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. © 2022 Davidović et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Introduction Medical studies bring many stressful activities to students. Prolonged stress can make adverse effects to mental health and lead to further professional burnout. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the association of stress impact and adverse effects of medical studies with psychological distress among medical students. Methods The cross sectional study was conducted on 367 fourth-year medical students of the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, by means of the anonymous questionnaire, containing: socio-demographic data, self-reported health status and stressful influences of studying activities. Mental health status was estimated by General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Results More than 50% of students perceive frequent feeling of psychic tension, and one third has problems with insomnia. Nearly one-half of students assessed their general stress level as moderate or high. Exams were estimated as high stressor in 63.1% of all students. Stressful effects of communication with teaching staff were reported by one quarter of the examinees. The scores of GHQ-12 were above the threshold in 55.6% of all students. Mental health problems among students were most significantly associated with stressful experience during exams and contacts with teaching staff. Conclusion Academic stress makes great influence on mental health of medical students. Reduction of stress effects should be directed to optimization of the examination process and improvement of communication skills.