Southeastern Europe is a centre of European biodiversity, but very little is known about factors causing the observed richness. Here, we contribute to fill this gap by reconstructing the spatio-temporal diversification of the cytologically variable and taxonomically intricate complex of Veronica chamaedrys (Plantaginaceae s.l.), growing in open forests, forest edges and grasslands, with flow cy...

Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) is a disease that affects people that live in the alluvial plains along the tributaries of the Danube River in the Balkan region. BEN is a chronic tubulointerstitial disease with a slow progression to terminal renal failure and has strong association with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). There are several hypotheses about the etiology of BEN, but only th...

“Balkan Peninsula”. “Balkans”. “Balkan people”. “Balkan style”. “Balkanism”. “Balkan federation”. “Balkan folklore”. “Balkan economic zone”. “Balkan orientalism”. “Balkan ethnic minorities”. “Balkan identity”. “Balkan identities”. “Balkan nationalism”. “Balkan policies of the Great Powers”. “Balkan self-(no)confidence”. “Balkan interests”. “Responsibility of the Balkan Governments”. “Balkan pol...

BACKGROUND The etiology of Balkan Endemic Nephropathy, (BEN), a tubulointerstitial kidney disease, is unknown. Although this disease is endemic in rural areas of Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia, similar manifestations are reported to occur in other regions, for instance Tunisia and Sri Lanka. A number of explanations have been stated including lignites, aristolochic acid, ochrato...

AIMS AND BACKGROUND Upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma, a relatively rare tumor, is up to 100 times more frequent in regions with Balkan endemic nephropathy. Characteristics of transitional cell carcinoma in the endemic South Morava Region in Serbia in the previous 50 years were evaluated. PATIENTS We analyzed 477 cases with pathologically confirmed transitional cell carcinoma wh...

Upper urothelial cancer (UUT) is not a common neoplasm. It's a biological potential expressed as a more frequent occurrence in patients with Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN). Analgesic nephropathy was discussed in this paper too. The most important facts and dilemmas in the evaluation, treatment and follow-up of patients with UUT were analyzed. Diagnosis is still most frequently performed by ex...

The upper urothelial carcinomas (UUC) associated with endemic nephropathy and analgesic nephropathy are considerably similar in many characteristics. These similarities diversify them from the same carcinomas in the general population w1x. Bilateral occurrence (simultaneous or successive) of the UUC is observed in about 8% cases of analgesic nephropathy and 10–14% in endemic Balkan nephropathy....