Maja Pavlović

Rising global temperatures and more frequent heat waves pose a growing threat to public health, particularly among older adults. Age-related declines in thermoregulatory capacity such as reduced sweating, impaired vasodilation, and diminished hypothalamic responsiveness make it more difficult to cope with elevated nighttime temperatures. These thermal challenges disrupt sleep by prolonging sleep onset, fragmenting slow-wave and REM sleep, and suppressing melatonin secretion. Importantly, sex-related differences in thermoregulatory aging—particularly menopause-associated vasomotor instability in women and testosterone-related autonomic changes in men—further modulate individual vulnerability to heat-induced sleep disruption. Beyond sleep, heat-induced stress affects metabolic, cardiovascular, and immune systems, promoting insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, sympathetic overactivation, and chronic inflammation. Socioeconomic disparities, urban heat island exposure, and differential access to cooling infrastructure function as critical environmental modifiers that amplify biological vulnerability, particularly in disadvantaged older populations. This narrative review aims to synthesize current knowledge on the specific thermoregulatory mechanisms of sleep disruption induced by heat stress in older adults. Understanding these interactions is crucial for developing effective interventions, including environmental cooling, circadian-aligned behaviors, and targeted public health strategies, to mitigate the compounded risks of heat exposure and preserve healthy sleep in aging populations. However, many proposed mechanistic pathways are primarily derived from animal models, and controlled human studies specifically targeting heat-exposed older adults remain scarce.

The bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the Roman snail (Helixpomatia Linnaeus, 1758) was investigated in October 2024. Animals were sampled at the location "Gornje Polje," which is situated near the former "Trepča" plant. The snails were collected by hand and then transported to the laboratory. A total of 34 medium-aged snails and 36 older snails were collected. The snails were dissected, and the content of heavy metals determined in the hemolymph, hepatopancreas, kidney and shell. In addition to analyzing the heavy metal content in the snails, an analysis of the heavy metals content in the soil was performed. The soil was collected in a quantity of 1 dm³ using a shovel and transported to the laboratory. The content of seven elements was examined: Arsenic (As), Copper (Cu),Iron (Fe), Cadmium (Cd), Manganese (Mn), Lead (Pb), and Zinc (Zn). The highest level of accumulation is heavy metal observed in the hepatopancreas. Furthermore, other structures exhibit a significantly high level of accumulation. All of this suggests that snails are a highly useful tool for diagnostic purposes in environmental of heavy metal accumulation. The analysis of heavy metal content was performed at the Public Health Institute of Kosovska Mitrovica.