The results of this study, in combination with previously obtained results, demonstrate that Y-chromosome testing and mini-STR methodology can contribute to the identification of human remains of victims of revolutionary violence from World War II.

No abstract

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is among the European countries with the highest rate of air pollution-related death cases and the poorest air quality. The main causes are solid fuel consumption, traffic, and the poorly developed or implemented air pollution reduction policies. In addition, the city of Sarajevo, the capital of B&H, suffers temperature inversion episodes in autumn/winter months, which sustain air pollution. Human biomonitoring studies may be confounded by the lifestyle of subjects or possible metabolic alterations. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate Ligustrum vulgare L. as a model for air pollution monitoring by measuring DNA damage at one rural and two urban sites. DNA damage was measured as tail intensity (TI) in L. vulgare leaves, considering seasonal, sampling period, leaf position and staging, and spatial (urban versus rural) variation. Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on TI were assessed by periodical monitoring at one of the selected sites, while in-house grown L. vulgare plants were used to test differences between outdoor and indoor air pollution effects for the same sampling period. Significantly higher TI was generally observed in leaves collected in Campus in December 2020 and 2021 compared with March (P < 0.0001). Outer and adult leaves showed higher TI values, except for the rural site where no differences for these categories were found. Leaves collected in the proximity of the intensive traffic showed significantly higher TI values (P < 0.001), regardless of the sampling period and the stage of growth. In regards to the COVID-19 lockdown, higher TI (P < 0.001) was registered in December 2020, after the lockdown period, than in periods before COVID-19 outbreak or immediately after the lockdown in 2020. This also reflects mild air pollution conditions in summer. TI values for the in-house grown leaves were significantly lower compared to those in situ. Results showed that L. vulgare may present a consistent model for the air pollution biomonitoring but further studies are needed to establish the best association between L. vulgare physiology, air quality data, and air pollution effects.

No abstract

During the 1992-1995 siege, as well as after the war activities, citizens of Sarajevo were most probably exposed to various potential genotoxic agents. The effects of those potential genotoxins were evaluated by micronucleus-cytokinesis blocked assay. The study included 30 individuals who resided in the area of Sarajevo during the war and the postwar period. Point bi-serial coefficient analysis did not reveal any relationship between the frequencies of binuclear cells with micronuclei as well as total number of micronuclei and smoking habits or gender. Simple linear regression revealed statistically significant positive correlation between the age and micronuclei formation. Due to the war related environmental contamination more extensive study is recommended.