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Due to their nutritive and therapeutic values as well as their decorative attributes, the usage of species from the genus Sorbus s.l. has been well known in folk tradition long since. According to the most recent taxonomic revision, in Croatian flora, Sorbus s.l. is represented with at least six native taxa and another six that are deficiently known and which presence should be further confirmed. In Croatia, species of Sorbus s.l. are distributed in three main geographical and climate regions (mountainous, lowland and Mediterranean) and grow under various environmental conditions. In Croatia, only a few taxa are infrequently used as ornamental plants while their usage as a wild edible fruit species is generally rather sparse. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of Croatian species of Sorbus s.l. (S. aria, S. aucuparia, S. austriaca, S. chamaemespilus, S. domestica, S. torminalis) with their utilization values as wild edible fruit species and ornamental plants, together with their environmental requirements, resistance to urban conditions and pests as well as possible problems in their cultivation and their capacity for selection and plant breeding. We assume that Croatian native Sorbus s.l. species present quality and multifunctional species applicable for use in landscaping and for fruit cultivation.

Pyrethrin is a potent biopesticide, a natural mixture of six compounds (pyrethrin I and II, cinerin I and II, and jasmolin I and II), biosynthesized in plants of Dalmatian pyrethrum (Tanacetum cinerariifolium/Trevir./Sch. Bip.), a species endemic to the eastern Adriatic coast, but grown worldwide. Not many known natural insecticides encompass such superior qualities as pyrethrin—very high efficacy against a broad spectrum of pests in combination with minor adverse effects on human health and the environment. In previous decades, pyrethrin was largely replaced by its synthetic derivatives, pyrethroids. However, due to their harmful effects on various species and ecosystems, the use of pyrethrin should again take the lead. This review summarizes one century (1920–2020) of research on the properties and use of pyrethrum as a source of pyrethrins. The primary focus is on presenting its current advantages and disadvantages, toxicity on target and non-target species, biosynthesis, factors that influence the pyrethrins content in pyrethrum, comparison of different methods of their extraction and determination ; as well as its production potential and development of new products. The final goal is to present possible approaches to improve and enhance the use of this highly effective but still underused phytochemical insecticide with unique properties.

The ornamental crops market in Croatia is predominately oriented on traditional crops. New crops that do find their way to the buyers are mainly new cultivars of known, long-established ornamental species. This could partially be explained by limited investment in the research and marketing of new ornamental crops in Croatia, conservative consumer preferences, and the market which is primarily import based. In 2018 Croatia has imported cut flowers in the amount of 10 million euros, with the following top six imported cut plants: roses, carnations, gladioli, orchids, chrysanthemums and lilies, none of which belong to the group of new ornamental crops. Even though there are currently no breeding programs on ornamentals, Croatia is rich in native plant species which are an almost unlimited source of new ornamental crops. Some of the species which are being currently analyzed for their potential as ornamental crops are: Anthemis tomentosa L., Astragalus monspessulanus L. ssp. illyricus (Berhardt) Chater, Convolvulus lineatus L., Corydalis acaulis (Wulfen) Pers., Iris adriatica Trinajstić ex Mitić, and Iris illyrica Tomm., all belonging to endangered and/or endemic plant species. This paper provides the outline of current status of the market for new ornamental crops, but also the outline of the botanical characteristics of these plants, discuss the potential for their introduction into horticultural production, and their usage as ornamental and landscaping species.

High mtDNA variation in Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a reflection of the turbulent and complex demographic history of this area, influenced by gene flow from various parts of Eurasia and a long history of intermixing. Our results of 1035 samples (488 from Croatia, 239 from Bosnia and 130 from Herzegovina, reported earlier, and 97 Slovenians and 81 individuals from Žumberak, reported here for the first time) show that the SEE maternal genetic diversity fits within a broader European maternal genetic landscape. The study also shows that the population of Žumberak, located in the continental part of Croatia, developed some unique mtDNA haplotypes and elevated haplogroup frequencies due to distinctive demographic history and can be considered a moderate genetic isolate. We also report seven samples from the Bosnian population and one Herzegovinian sample designated as X2* individuals that could not be assigned to any of its sublineages (X2a'o) according to the existing X2 phylogeny. In an attempt to clarify the phylogeny of our X2 samples, their mitochondrial DNA has been completely sequenced. We suppose that these lineages are signs of local microdifferentiation processes that occurred in the recent demographic past in this area and could possibly be marked as SEE-specific X2 sublineages.

Twenty-two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 10 gene regions previously identified in obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were evaluated for association with metabolic traits in a sample from an island population of European descent. We performed a population-based study using 18 anthropometric and biochemical traits considered as continuous variables in a sample of 843 unrelated subjects (360 men and 483 women) aged 18–80 years old from the island of Hvar on the eastern Adriatic coast of Croatia. All eight GWAS SNPs in FTO were significantly associated with weight, body mass index, waist circumference and hip circumference ; 20 of the 32 nominal P-values remained significant after permutation testing for multiple corrections. The strongest associations were found between the two TCF7L2 GWAS SNPs with fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c levels, all four P-values remained significant after permutation tests. Nominally significant associations were found between several SNPs and other metabolic traits ; however, the significance did not hold after permutation tests. Although the sample size was modest, our study strongly replicated the association of FTO variants with obesity-related measures and TCF7L2 variants with T2D-related traits. The estimated effect sizes of these variants were larger or comparable to published studies. This is likely attributable to the homogenous genetic background of the relatively isolated study population.

Human Y chromosome haplogroup structure is largely circumscribed by continental boundaries. One notable exception to this general pattern is the young haplogroup R1a that exhibits post-Glacial coalescent times and relates the paternal ancestry of more than 10% of men in a wide geographic area extending from South Asia to Central-East Europe and South Siberia. Its origin and dispersal patterns are poorly understood as no marker has yet been described that would distinguish European R1a chromosomes from Asian. Here we present frequency and haplotype diversity estimates for more than 2, 000 R1a chromosomes assessed for several newly discovered SNP markers that introduce the onset of informative R1a subdivisions by geography. Marker M434 has a low frequency and a late origin in West Asia bearing witness to recent gene flow over the Arabian Sea. Conversely, marker M458 has a significant frequency in Europe, exceeding 30% in its core area in Eastern Europe and comprising up to 70% of all M17 chromosomes present there. The diversity and frequency profiles of M458 suggest its origin during the early Holocene and a subsequent expansion likely related to a number of prehistoric cultural developments in the region. Its primary frequency and diversity distribution correlates well with some of the major Central and East European river basins where settled farming was established before its spread further eastwards. Importantly, the virtual absence of M458 chromosomes outside Europe speaks against substantial patrilineal gene flow from East Europe to Asia, including to India, at least since the mid-Holocene.

Allele frequencies of 15 AmpFlSTR Identifiler STR loci (D8S1179, D21S11, D7S820, CSF1PO, D3S1358, TH01, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1338, D19S433, vWA, TPOX, D18S51, D5S818 and FGA) were analysed in a sample of 100 unrelated autochthonous Macedonian and 102 Macedonian Romani individuals, representing different ethnic groups residing within the same country of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The interpopulation comparisons between Macedonians and Macedonian Romani with four south eastern European populations, Kosovo Albanians, Serbians from Vojvodina Province, western Romanians and northern Greeks were performed as well as comparison between Macedonian Romani and Assam population from Asia (India). Reported data point that Macedonian Romani, as an example of an endogamous population of Asian (Indian) origin, show significant allelic differences when compared to neighbouring south eastern European populations.

High mtDNA variation in Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a reflection of the turbulent and complex demographic history of this area, influenced by gene flow from various parts of Eurasia and a long history of intermixing. Our results of 1035 samples (488 from Croatia, 239 from Bosnia and 130 from Herzegovina, reported earlier, and 97 Slovenians and 81 individuals from Žumberak, reported here for the first time) show that the SEE maternal genetic diversity fits within a broader European maternal genetic landscape. The study also shows that the population of Žumberak, located in the continental part of Croatia, developed some unique mtDNA haplotypes and elevated haplogroup frequencies due to distinctive demographic history and can be considered a moderate genetic isolate. We also report seven samples from the Bosnian population and one Herzegovinian sample designated as X2* individuals that could not be assigned to any of its sublineages (X2a'o) according to the existing X2 phylogeny. In an attempt to clarify the phylogeny of our X2 samples, their mitochondrial DNA has been completely sequenced. We suppose that these lineages are signs of local microdifferentiation processes that occurred in the recent demographic past in this area and could possibly be marked as SEE-specific X2 sublineages.

This study presents genetic diversity and structure of contemporary Krk islanders revealed by high-resolution mitochondrial DNA analysis on a sample of 132 unrelated autochthonous adults from seven different settlements and regions of the island. Relatively high level of haplogroup and haplotype diversity in the overall island sample is an indicator of numerous migrations and gene flows throughout the history. Expectedly, the results show the highest frequency of haplogroup H (33.3%), yet this value is much lower compared to different Croatian and other European mainland populations. An interesting finding refers to highly elevated frequencies of some haplogroups, otherwise rare in Croatia and most of the Europe, such as I (11.3%) and W (7.6%) in Krk population, especially pronounced in some settlements. At the level of settlements, many of the major European haplogroups were found to be absent from their mtDNA gene pools, whereas several others show a pronounced deviation from an average. Overall, our results suggest a tangled interplay of different evolutionary forces, such as founder effects and a few strong bottlenecks, presumably due to epidemics, which have occurred in various periods of the island's history. Cultural customs, such as frequent endogamy in some regions of the island during past centuries, have additionally shaped its genetic structure into the observed present-day diversity patterns.

Many Croatian islands are examples of genetic isolates, with low level of heterozygosity and high level of inbreeding, due to practice of endogamy.The aim was to study the genetic structure of two insular and one mainland population through high-resolution phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).MtDNA polymorphisms were explored in 300 unrelated individuals from Mljet, Lastovo and the coastal city of Dubrovnik, based on SNP polymorphisms.All mtDNA haplogroups found in the sample were of typical European origin. However, the frequency distribution of their subclades differed significantly from other Croatian and European populations. MtDNA haplotype analysis revealed only two possible founder lineages on Mljet and six on Lastovo, accounting for almost half of the sample on both islands. The island of Mljet also has the lowest reported haplotype and nucleotide diversity among Croatian isolates and the island of Lastovo, a new sublineage of a usually quite rare U1b clade.The results can be explained by the effect evolutionary forces have on genetic structure, which is in line with the specific demographic histories of the islands. An additional research value of these two island isolates is the appearance of certain Mendelian disorders, highlighting their importance in epidemiological studies.

Ovim istraživanjem potvrđena je prisutnost crnog daždevnjaka (Salamandra atra) u Parku prirode Žumberak - Samoborsko gorje, gdje je prethodno zabilježena samo jedna jedinka 1989. godine. Prisutnost i rasprostranjenost vrste istraživani su tijekom vegetacijske sezone 2004. godine na deset različitih lokaliteta u sastojinama planinske bukove šume. U srpnju 2004. g. pronađeno je pet jedinki (četiri mužjaka i jedna ženka) crnog daždevnjaka u bukovoj prašumskoj sastojini Kuta (na oko 900 m n. v.), za vrijeme vremenskih prilika praćenih jakom kišom. Ovo je najsjeverniji nalaz vrste u Hrvatskoj, koji ukazuje da Žumberak predstavlja disjunktni dio njezinog areala u Dinaridima. U radu su predložene mjere zaštite vrste, međutim, za donošenje preciznijeg plana zaštite potrebna su dodatna istraživanja rasprostranjenosti i ekologije ove vrste., This study confirms the presence of Alpine salamander (Salamandra atra) in the Nature Park Žumberak - Samoborsko gorje, where previously only one specimen was recorded in 1989. Species presence and distribution were investigated at ten different localities in stands of montane beech forest, during the vegetation season 2004. In July 2004 five individuals (four males and one female) of Alpine salamander were found in the virgin beech forest at site Kuta (about 900 m a.s.l.), during weather conditions characterized by heavy rain. This is the northernmost finding of the species in Croatia, as well as a confirmed disjunctive part of its areal in the Dinarids. Conservation measures for the species are proposed but for more precise conservation plan further research of species distribution and ecology is needed.

Because of their sensitivity and high level of discrimination, short tandem repeat (STR) maker systems are currently the method of choice in routine forensic casework and data banking, usually in multiplexes up to 15-17 loci. Constraints related to sample amount and quality, frequently encountered in forensic casework, willnot allow to change this picture in the near future, notwithstanding the technological developments. In this study, we present a free online calculator named PopAffiliator (http://cracs.fc.up.pt/popaffiliator) for individual population affiliation in the three main population groups, Eurasian, East Asian and sub-Saharan African, based ongenotype profiles for the common set of STRs used in forensics. This calculator performs affiliation based on a model constructed using machine learning techniques. The model was constructed using a data set of approximately fifteen thousand individuals collected for this work. The accuracy of individual population affiliation is approximately 86%, showing that the common set of STRs routinely used in forensics provide a considerable amount of information for population assignment, in addition to being excellent for individual identification.

Diversity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages of the Island of Cres was determined by high-resolution phylogenetic analysis on a sample of 119 adult unrelated individuals from eight settlements. The composition of mtDNA pool of this Island population is in contrast with other Croatian and European populations. The analysis revealed the highest frequency of haplogroup U (29.4%) with the predominance of one single lineage of subhaplogroup U2e (20.2%). Haplogroup H is the second most prevalent one with only 27.7%. Other very interesting features of contemporary Island population are extremely low frequency of haplogroup J (only 0.84%), and much higher frequency of haplogroup W (12.6%) comparing to other Croatian and European populations. Especially interesting finding is a strikingly higher frequency of haplogroup N1a (9.24%) presented with African/south Asian branch almost absent in Europeans, while its European sister-branch, proved to be highly prevalent among Neolithic farmers, is present in contemporary Europeans with only 0.2%. Haplotype analysis revealed that only five mtDNA lineages account for almost 50% of maternal genetic heritage of this island and they present supposed founder lineages. All presented findings confirm that genetic drift, especially founder effect, has played significant role in shaping genetic composition of the isolated population of the Island of Cres. Due to presented data contemporary population of Cres Island can be considered as genetic "outlier" among Croatian populations.

Aim To perform a comprehensive evaluation of association of common genetic variants in candidate genes in the dopaminergic pathway with schizophrenia in a sample from Croatian population. Methods A case-control association study was performed on 104 unrelated patients with schizophrenia recruited from a psychiatric hospital in Zagreb and 131 phenotypically normal Croatian subjects. Forty-nine tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) in 8 candidate genes in the dopaminergic pathway were identified from the HapMap database and tested for association. Genotyping was performed using the SNPlex platform. Statistical analysis was conducted to assess allelic and genotypic associations between cases and controls using a goodness of fit χ2 test and trend test, respectively; adjustment for multiple testing was done by permutation based analysis. Results Significant allele frequency differences between schizophrenia cases and controls were observed at 4 tag- SNPs located in the genes DRD5, HTR1B1, DBH, and TH1 (P < 0.005). A trend test also confirmed the genotypic association (P < 0.001) of these 4 tagSNPs. Additionally, moderate association (P < 0.05) was observed with 8 tagSNPs on SLC6A3, DBH, DRD4, SLC6A4, and COMT. Conclusions Common genetic variants in genes involved in the dopaminergic pathway are associated with schizophrenia in the populations of Caucasian descent.

Genetic diversity and forensic parameters based on 15 AmpFlSTR Identifiler short tandem repeat (STR) loci (D8S1179, D21S11, D7S820, CSF1PO, D3S1358, TH01, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1338, D19S433, vWA, TPOX, D18S51, D5S818 and FGA) were evaluated in a sample of 101 unrelated, autochthonous adults from Montenegro. After applying Bonferroni correction, the agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was confirmed for all loci with the exception of D5S818 (χ 2 test) and D21S11 (exact test). The combined power of discrimination (PD) and the combined power of exclusion (PE) for the 15 studied loci were 0.9999999999999999844 and 0.99999382, respectively. According to measures of within-population genetic diversity, D2S1338, D18S51 and FGA may be considered as the most variable and most informative markers for forensic testing and population genetic analyses out of the 15 analysed loci in a population of Montenegro ; while D5S818 showed to be the least variable and together with TPOX, the least informative. Interpopulation comparisons were carried out and levels of genetic differentiation between population of Montenegro and five South-eastern European populations (Kosovo Albanians, Serbians from Vojvodina province, Macedonians, Bosnians and Croatians) were evaluated. The most differentiated population in relation to Montenegro is a population of Kosovo Albanians as suggested by both AMOVA and FST and RST coefficients of genetic differentiation.