The development of postglacial vegetation in coastal Croatia

A review of postglacial vegetation development in the coastal region of Croatia is based on a synthesis of previous and the most recent archaeobotanical research, including pollen analysis, and analysis of plant macro-fossils. Changes in vegetation through individual postglacial periods are shown systematically, particular attention being devoted to anthropogenic impacts on the vegetation

Istraživanja na životinjama u vezi s Balkanskom endemskom nefropatijom

Basic field studies related to the animal population were performed in the region of Slavonski Brod, Republic of Croatia, where Balkan endemic nephropathy is an endemic disease. Pathological changes in several animal species from the locality were examined. The pig population in the area is numerous. Morphologically and physiologically pigs make an excellent animal model for studies of human diseases. Their use in studies should be encouraged, especially because there is a possibility that pigs and humans suffer from the same type of intoxication with a specific xenobiotic of natural origin. According to the mycotoxin theory about the aetiology of Balkan endemic nephropathy, pork meat might be one of the possible hazards for humans. Experiments on laboratory animals provide an excellent possibility to monitor several aspects of pathogenesis and all stages of pathomorphological changes which might then be correlated with Balkan endemic nephropathy, However; the experimental species should be critically chosen because some spontaneous, species-specific lesions of the kidneys are easily mistaken for changes induced experimentally.Obavljena su osnovna terenska ispitivanja životinjskih populacija u okolici Slavonskog Broda, u kojoj je balkanska endemska nefropatija endemska bolest, i ispitane su patološke promjene na različitim životinjskim vrstama. Populacija svinja u promatranom području vrlo je brojna, a zbog svoje morfološke i fiziološke sličnosti čovjeku svinja je odličan model za bolesti ljudi. Treba poticati studije na svinjama, osobito zbog mogućnosti da su svinje i ljudi izloženi intoksikaciji istim ksenobiotikom prirodnog podrijetla. U suglasju s mikotoksičnom teorijom o etiologiji balkanske endemske nefropatije, svinjsko meso moglo bi biti opasno za čovjeka. Pokusi na životinjama pružaju odličnu mogućnost promatranja različitih vidova patogeneze i patomorfoloških promjena u svim stadijima razvoja, koji tako mogu, biti uspoređivani s balkanskom endemskom nefropatijom. Ipak, eksperimentalne vrste moraju biti kritički izabrane, jer neke spontane lezije bubrega specifične za pojedine vrste mogu biti protumačene kao one izazvane eksperimentalno

Razvoj vegetacije u kontinentalnom području Hrvatske tijekom postglacijala

A review of the development of the vegetation in the inland area of Croatia includes the period of the Postglacial, and is based on a synthesis of previous archaeobotanical research, including pollen analysis, and analysis of plant macro-fossils. Changes in vegetation through individual postglacial periods are shown, particular attention being devoted to anthropogenic impacts on the vegetation.Pregled razvoja vegetacije u kontinentalnom području Hrvatske obuhvaća razdoblje postglacijala, a temelji se na sintezi dosadašnjih arheobotaničkih istraživanja, koja uključuju polenske analize, te analize biljnih makrofosila. Prikazane su promjene vegetacije tijekom pojedinih razdoblja postglacijala, a posebna pozornost posvećena je atropogenom utjecaju na vegetaciju

Supplementary material for the article: Šoštarić, T. D.; Petrović, M. S.; Pastor, F. T.; Lončarević, D. R.; Petrović, J. T.; Milojković, J. V.; Stojanović, M. D. Study of Heavy Metals Biosorption on Native and Alkali-Treated Apricot Shells and Its Application in Wastewater Treatment. Journal of Molecular Liquids 2018, 259, 340–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2018.03.055

Supplementary material for: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2018.03.055]Related to published version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2152]Related to accepted version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2970

Istraživanja na životinjama u vezi s Balkanskom endemskom nefropatijom

Basic field studies related to the animal population were performed in the region of Slavonski Brod, Republic of Croatia, where Balkan endemic nephropathy is an endemic disease. Pathological changes in several animal species from the locality were examined. The pig population in the area is numerous. Morphologically and physiologically pigs make an excellent animal model for studies of human diseases. Their use in studies should be encouraged, especially because there is a possibility that pigs and humans suffer from the same type of intoxication with a specific xenobiotic of natural origin. According to the mycotoxin theory about the aetiology of Balkan endemic nephropathy, pork meat might be one of the possible hazards for humans. Experiments on laboratory animals provide an excellent possibility to monitor several aspects of pathogenesis and all stages of pathomorphological changes which might then be correlated with Balkan endemic nephropathy, However; the experimental species should be critically chosen because some spontaneous, species-specific lesions of the kidneys are easily mistaken for changes induced experimentally.Obavljena su osnovna terenska ispitivanja životinjskih populacija u okolici Slavonskog Broda, u kojoj je balkanska endemska nefropatija endemska bolest, i ispitane su patološke promjene na različitim životinjskim vrstama. Populacija svinja u promatranom području vrlo je brojna, a zbog svoje morfološke i fiziološke sličnosti čovjeku svinja je odličan model za bolesti ljudi. Treba poticati studije na svinjama, osobito zbog mogućnosti da su svinje i ljudi izloženi intoksikaciji istim ksenobiotikom prirodnog podrijetla. U suglasju s mikotoksičnom teorijom o etiologiji balkanske endemske nefropatije, svinjsko meso moglo bi biti opasno za čovjeka. Pokusi na životinjama pružaju odličnu mogućnost promatranja različitih vidova patogeneze i patomorfoloških promjena u svim stadijima razvoja, koji tako mogu, biti uspoređivani s balkanskom endemskom nefropatijom. Ipak, eksperimentalne vrste moraju biti kritički izabrane, jer neke spontane lezije bubrega specifične za pojedine vrste mogu biti protumačene kao one izazvane eksperimentalno

Grains from ear to ear: the morphology of spelt and free-threshing wheat from Roman Mursa (Osijek), Croatia

Cereals were a significant part of the Roman diet, yet knowledge about their cultivation, distribution and consumption in certain regions is particularly lacking. In Europe, studies generally suggest that from the Iron Age to the Roman period there was a reduction in barley cultivation, an increase in spelt over emmer, a preference for free-threshing wheat over glume wheats, as well as the increased cultivation of rye and oats. Up till now, there was little evidence on crop cultivation in Croatia, but the discovery of around 24,000 cereal grains from the oven of a 2nd-4th c. AD Roman villa in the modern town of Osijek provides important insights into diet and subsistence in the Roman province of Pannonia. Here, the dominance of free-threshing wheat, spelt and rye with only a relatively small amount of other cereals, chaff and weeds corresponds well with this pattern seen elsewhere in Europe. The relatively clean grain deposit suggests that this sample represents processed grain ready for final food preparation and consumption at the villa. The morphological variation and overlap seen between the carbonised spelt and free-threshing wheat grains, as well as the identification of ‘stunted’ cereal grains, is also discussed

Effects of acetylation and phosphorylation on subunit interactions in three large eukaryotic complexes

Protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) have an indispensable role in living cells as they expand chemical diversity of the proteome, providing a fine regulatory layer that can govern protein-protein interactions in changing environmental conditions. Here we investigated the effects of acetylation and phosphorylation on the stability of subunit interactions in purified Saccharomyces cerevisiae complexes, namely exosome, RNA polymerase II and proteasome. We propose a computational framework that consists of conformational sampling of the complexes by molecular dynamics simulations, followed by Gibbs energy calculation by MM/GBSA. After benchmarking against published tools such as FoldX and Mechismo, we could apply the framework for the first time on large protein assemblies with the aim of predicting the effects of PTMs located on interfaces of subunits on binding stability. We discovered that acetylation predominantly contributes to subunits' interactions in a locally stabilizing manner, while phosphorylation shows the opposite effect. Even though the local binding contributions of PTMs may be predictable to an extent, the long range effects and overall impact on subunits' binding were only captured because of our dynamical approach. Employing the developed, widely applicable workflow on other large systems will shed more light on the roles of PTMs in protein complex formation

Influence of pH value on Cu (II) biosorption by lignocellulose peach shell waste material

In the last decade, the pollution made by anthropogenic sources has reached large amounts with special attention on heavy metals because of their high toxicity, persistence and bioaccumulation tendency. Since the conventional methods for their removing are either too expensive or create large quantities of toxic sludge, the great attention has been paid to the new technologies such as biosorption, technology that use cheap, abundant, organic waste for sequestering pollutants from contaminated mediums. Among the other factors that affect biosorption process, pH value is one the most important because it directs both the metal solution chemistry as well as the activity of the biomass functional groups. In this paper the influence of pH value on biosorption of Cu (II) by unmodified low-cost lignocellulose biosorbent - peach shell (PS) particles, have been studied. The chemical composition of PS, point of zero charge (pHPZC) as well as its surface morphology is also presented. Results have showed that this biosorbent contains mainly cellulose and lignin, the components that carry the functional groups responsible for metal binding. Its multilayer surface contains many pores and channels that help diffusion in deeper layers and force biosorption process. Point of zero charge determination was performed with three different KNO3 ionic strengths: 0,1M, 0,01M and 0,001M. The obtained value for pHPZC was 4,75±0,1 and showed that this biosorbent is non-sensitive to ionic strength of electrolyte applied. Biosorption experiments were done with peach shell particles whose diameter was -0,5+0,1mm at 25oC . The initial copper (II) concentration was 50 mg/dm3 while the biosorbent concentration was 10g/dm3. Experiments were done with and without keeping pH constant. The influence of pH on biosorption process was examined in 2-6 pH range. The percentage of Cu (II) removed by PS, reaches its maximum at pH 6, with the 90,43% removing but this percentage can also be attributed to precipitating of metal at this pH value. However, under the same operational conditions, but at pH 2, the retention of copper is equal to 2,62%. The results also indicate that it is necessary to lead the biosorption process with keeping pH constant all the time, since the copper removal was about 46 % less when the pH value was not kept constant during the biosorption process. The pH value obtained as optimal was slightly higher than pHPZC value which indicates that electrostatic attraction is one of the possible binding mechanisms in biosorption process. The results have showed that the removal of Cu (II) with peach shell particles is very sensitive to solution pH and that this parameter should be thoroughly investigated and strongly controlled during the whole removal process

Dirofilaria repens infection in a dog in Croatia- a case report

This work presents the finding of Dirofilaria repens microfilariae after necropsy on a dog in Croatia. The cause of death was peritonitis caused by perforation of the intestinal diverticula. Necropsy revealed severe cachexia with a phlegmonous subcutaneous inflammation in the cubital, coxal and carpal regions. The liver cirrhosis with icterus was also seen. Histopathological examination showed numerous microfilariae in all examined organs located predominantly intravascularly, but in the phlegmone, liver, lymph node and lungs they were located in the tissue of the haemorrhage area. Two otherwise healthy dogs which had lived in cohabitation with the necropsied one had been found positive by modified Knott’s test for D. repens microfilariae and were successfully treated with ivermectin. Key words: Dirofilaria repens, dog, pathomorpholog