Origin and characterization of Montenegrin grapevine varieties

Viticultural tradition in Montenegro dates back before the Roman period. Viticulture and winemaking of Montenegro is still mainly based on autochthonous grapevine varieties ('Vranac', 'Kratošija', 'Krstač' and 'Žižak'). Relevant historical data concerning the origin of Montenegrin grapevine varieties, as well as Montenegrin germplasm characterization reviews are reported in this paper. The available literature data indicate a long tradition and an important breeding history of grapevine evaluation in Montenegro, especially concerning 'Vranac' and 'Kratošija'. Through international projects, by ampelographic analysis and DNA profiles, the originality of 'Vranac', 'Žižak' and 'Krstač' varieties was confirmed, while it was found that 'Kratošija' has the same genetic profile as 'Primitivo', 'Zinfandel' and 'Crljenak Kaštelanski'. According to the literature and to the exploration in vine growing regions, it can be concluded that Montenegro has a very rich grapevine germplasm, yet not investigated enough. Further works on Montenegrin germplasm will contribute to the better evaluation of the grapevine genetic resources of Montenegro, and, therefore, to the enrichment of grapevine diversity in Europe

Guiding principles for identification, evaluation and conservation of Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris

Conservation of grapevine genetic resources is an important and long lasting task. Here, partners of the InWiGrape Activity of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources have proposed a set of descriptors that will assist in identification, conservation and study of genetic resources of Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris. A distribution map of Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris populations in Europe was produced, with on-line access through the European Vitis Database. The several different aspects of conservation of Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris including bibliographical references, identification in the wild, in situ and ex situ conservation have been discussed. The descriptors and the map will assist different stakeholders, working on biodiversity and ecosystems in more effective conservation of wild grapevine genetic resources

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI 2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/images/research_banner_face_lab_290.jpgunderweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesity

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

AbstractOptimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was &lt;1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.</jats:p

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

ABCB1 polymorphism in clopidogrel-treated Montenegrin patients

© 2021 Snezana Mugosa et al. Clopidogrel is an antiplatelet drug that displays significant interindividual variability in treatment response. Its bioavailability depends on the function of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), which is coded by a highly polymorphic ABCB1 gene. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ABCB1 genetic polymorphism on clopidogrel efficacy and safety and to determine the frequency distribution of its most common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 106 Montenegrin cardiology patients. Clopidogrel efficacy and safety were followed up during 1 year after hospitalization, with the lack of efficacy and adverse drug reactions observed in 11 (10.4%) and 8 patients (7.5%), respectively. Genotyping for ABCB1 SNPs rs1128503 (1236C > T), rs2032582 (2677G > A/T), and rs1045642 (3435C > T) was performed by the real-time PCR method, and the variant alleles were detected with the frequencies of 42.9, 44.8, and 52.8%, respectively. No significant association was observed between any of the examined genotypes and clopidogrel efficacy (p = 0.253) or safety (p = 0.424). Due to small sample size, co-treatment with other drugs, and other genetic factors not taken into account, we believe the absence of correlation between ABCB1 genotypes and indicators of clopidogrel efficacy and safety in this study should be apprehended conditionally, and that larger and better-controlled studies are warranted

Mobility and Bioavailability of Metals in sediments of Skadar Lake - Montenegro

Metals in sediments are present in different chemical forms, which mostly affect their ability to transfer in water and plants i.e. their bioavailability. The mobile part of metals is potentially toxic, thus for the evaluation of the bioavailability it is often enough to determine the metal content in the available and potentially available fraction of sediment. The aim of this study was to compare some methods of determination of mobile forms of heavy metals and to determine their share related to the “pseudo-total” metal content in the sediment from Skadar Lake, Montenegro. Mobile forms of Cu, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, Sr and V were determined using: 0.1M NH4Cl (buffered to pH 9), 0.1M CaCl2 (pH 6), 0.1M CH3COONa (pH 9), 0.1M H2C2O4 (pH 2) and 0.1M EDTA (pH 6),. The largest amounts of Co (42.2 wt.%), Cr (11.4%) , Mn (59.9%), Ni (13.5%), Zn (41.0%) and V (42.2%) were extracted with oxalic acid and Cu (44.7 wt.%), Pb (49.3%), and Sr (61.2%) with EDTA. With NH4Cl, CaCl2 and CH3COONa small amounts of metals were extracted (except Sr), generally below 1%. Based on these results we can conclude that the metals in the sediments of Lake Skadar are found in a negligible amount in easily mobile, acid soluble and carbonate-related phase

Vprašalnik za merjenje kakovosti življenja, povezanega z zdravjem

Background: Translations of instruments for measuring quality of life developed in certain, mostly more developed, parts of the world usually do not cover regionally specific aspects of health-related quality of life, even after transcultural validation. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a reliable questionnaire in Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin languages suitable for measuring health-related quality of life in adults. Methods: The study was of a cross-sectional type, assessing the reliability and validity of a newly developed questionnaire for measuring health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults residing in western Balkan states (WB-HRQoL). It was conducted on a sample of 489 adults from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Montenegro, with a mean age of 52.2±14.4 years and a male/female ratio of 195/294 (39.9%/60.1%). Result: The definitive version of the WB-HRQoL scale with 19 items showed very good reliability, with Cronbach's alpha 0.905. The scale was temporally stable, and satisfactory results were obtained for divergent and convergent validity tests. Exploratory factorial analysis brought to the surface four domains of health-related quality of life, namely the physical, psychical, social, and environmental. Conclusion: The WB-HRQoL scale is a reliable and valid generic instrument for measuring HRQoL that takes into account the cultural specifics of the western Balkan region

Massive outbreak of viral gastroenteritis associated with consumption of municipal drinking water in a European capital city

International audienceOn 24 August 2008, an outbreak alert regarding cases of acute gastroenteritis in Podgorica triggered investigations to guide control measures. From 23 August to 7 September, 1699 cases were reported in Podgorica (population 136 000) and we estimated the total size of the outbreak to be 10 000–15 000 corresponding to an attack rate of ~10%. We conducted an age- and neighbourhood-matched case-control study, microbiologically analysed faecal and municipal water samples and assessed the water distribution system. All cases (83/83) and 90% (89/90) of controls drank unboiled chlorinated municipal water [matched odds ratio (mOR) 11·2, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1·6–∞]. Consumption of bottled water was inversely associated with illness (mOR 0·3, 95% CI 0·1–0·8). Analyses of faecal samples identified six norovirus genotypes (21/38 samples) and occasionally other viruses. Multiple defects in the water distribution system were noted. These results suggest that the outbreak was caused by faecally contaminated municipal water. It is unusual to have such a large outbreak in a European city especially when the municipal water supply is chlorinated. Therefore, it is important to establish effective multiple-barrier water-treatment systems whenever possible, but even with an established chlorinated supply, sustained vigilance is central to public health