The fact that the skin is the most visible organ makes us aware of the ageing process every minute. The use of plant extracts and herbs has its origins in ancient times. Chronological and photo-ageing can be easily distinguished clinically, but they share important molecular features. We tried to gather the most interesting evidence based on facts about plants and plant extracts used in antiaging products. Our main idea was to emphasize action mechanisms of these plant/herbal products, that is, their “strategies” in fighting skin ageing. Some of the plant extracts have the ability to scavenge free radicals, to protect the skin matrix through the inhibition of enzymatic degradation, or to promote collagen synthesis in the skin. There are some plants that can affect skin elasticity and tightness. Certainly, there is a place for herbal principles in antiaging cosmetics. On the other hand, there is a constant need for more evaluation and more clinical studies in vivo with emphasis on the ingredient concentration of the plant/herbal products, its formulation, safety, and duration of the antiaging effect.

We demonstrated two important findings; that mobile phones caused oxidative damage biochemically by increasing the levels of MDA, carbonyl groups, XO activity and decreasing CAT activity; and that treatment with the melatonin significantly prevented oxidative damage in the brain.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a well-established animal model of human multiple sclerosis (MS). We have evaluated the role of oxidative and nitrosative stress, as the causal factors in the development of EAE, responsible for the damage of cardinal cellular components, such as lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, resulting in demyelination, axonal damage, and neuronal death. EAE was induced in female Sprague-Dawley rats, 3 months old (300±20 g), by immunization with myelin basic protein in combination with Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). The animals were divided into seven groups: control, EAE, CFA, EAE+aminoguanidine (AG), AG, EAE+N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and NAC. The animals were sacrificed 15 days after EAE induction, and the levels of nitrosative and oxidative stress were determined in 10% homogenate of the whole encephalitic mass. In EAE rats, brain NO production and MDA level were significantly increased (P<0.001) compared to the control values, whereas AG and NAC treatment decreased both parameters in EAE rats compared to EAE group (P<0.001). Glutathione (GSH) was reduced (P<0.001) in EAE rats in comparison with the control and CFA groups, but increased in EAE+AG and EAE+NAC group compared to the EAE group (P<0.01). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly decreased (P<0.001) in the EAE group compared to all other experimental groups. The clinical expression of EAE was significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the EAE groups treated with AG and NAC compared to EAE rats, during disease development. The obtained results prove an important role of oxidative and nitrosative stress in the pathogenesis of EAE, whereas AG and NAC protective effects offer new possibilities for a modified combined approach in MS therapy.

It has been demonstrated that administration of high concentrations of monosodium glutamate (MSG), induce oxidative stress in different organs, but not in thymus. In the present study we examined the role of oxidative stress in MSG-induced thymocyte apoptosis. MSG was administrated intraperitoneally (4 mg/g of body weight) for six consecutive days. Animals were sacrificed at 1st, 7th, and 15th day after last MSG dose. MSG administration to animals significantly increased apoptotic rate of thymocytes (P < 0.01), together with significant increase of malondialdehyde (MDA) level (P < 0.001) and xanthine oxidase (XO) activity (P < 0.01), in time dependent manner. Catalase activity, during examination period, was significantly decreased (0 < 0.01). Obtained results showed that MSG treatment induced oxidative stress in thymus, which may have an important role in thymocyte apoptosis induced by MSG.

Objectives: There is insufficient evidence regarding the potential risk of mobile phone use on mental health. Therefore, the aim of this research was to examine the relationship between mobile phone use and mental health by measuring the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among university students in Serbia and Italy. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at two distinguished universities in Serbia and Italy from March to May of the 2015/2016 academic year and included 785 students of both genders. The questionnaire was compiled and developed from different published sources regarding the manner and intensity of mobile phone use, along with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 42) for measuring psychological health. The statistical analysis of the data included the application of binary logistic regression and correlation tests. Results: Statistical analysis indicates that anxiety symptoms are somewhat more present in younger students (odds ratio (OR) = 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.76–0.96), in those who send more text messages (SMSs) (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.11–1.31), and in those who browse the internet less frequently (OR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.73–0.95). Stress is more common in students who make fewer calls a day (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64–0.97), as well in those who spend more time talking on the mobile phone per day (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.12–1.56). The strongest predictor of high stress levels was keeping the mobile phone less than 1 m away during sleeping (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.12–2.08). Conclusions: The results indicated that the intensity and modality of mobile phone use could be a factor that can influence causal pathways leading to mental health problems in the university student population.