Search

AimTo analyze an additional set of Y-Chromosome genetic markers to acquire a more detailed insight into the diversity of the Croatian population.MethodsThe total number of 518 Yfiler™ Plus profiles were genotyped. Allele, haplotype frequencies, and haplotype diversity were calculated using the STRAF software package v2.0.4. Genetic distances were quantified by Rst using AMOVA online tool from the YHRD. The evolutionary history was inferred using the neighbor-joining method of phylogenetic tree construction in MEGAX software. Whit Athey’s Haplogroup Predictor v5 was used for additional comparison with available regional and other European populations.ResultsThe total of 507 haplotypes were used for genetic STR analysis. The interpopulation study on 17 Y-STR markers shows the lowest genetic diversity between the Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian populations and the highest between the Croatian and Irish populations. Additional interpopulation comparison with the original 27 Y-STR markers (for the population with available data) was also performed. A total of 518 haplotypes were used in the determination of haplogroup diversity. Haplogroup I with its sublineage I2a expressed the highest prevalence. Haplogroup R, with its major sublineage R1a, is the second most abundant in the studied Croatian population, except for the subpopulation of Hvar, where E1b1b is the second most abundant haplogroup. Rare haplogroups also confirmed in this study are L, T, and Q. G1 is detected for the very first time in the Croatian population.ConclusionNew insight into differences between examined subpopulations of Croatia and their possible (dis)similarities with neighboring abroad populations was notified.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Previous studies have found that genetics incompletely explain susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. To find new potential risk factors, the authors investigated the possible contribution of DNA methylation (modifications to DNA that can affect gene expression but do not alter the underlying genetic code) in an adult population on the Croatian island of Hvar, which has a high number of people with cardiovascular and metabolic disease. By examining DNA methylation in blood collected at two time points, 10 years apart, the authors were able to identify DNA methylation that either stayed the same over time (stable) or changed the most over time (dynamic). These were then compared with clinical test results related to cardiovascular or metabolic diseases to determine if they are associated. Twenty-two methylation sites were found to be associated with systolic blood pressure. Of those, 20 were considered stable and two were dynamic. Additionally, there was one stable methylation site associated with serum calcium and one with C-reactive protein. These findings suggest that systolic blood pressure may be regulated through stable DNA methylation that is potentially established earlier in life.

The paper presents an overview of the 50-year long bioanthropological research of the Hvar islanders and depicts the maternal and paternal genetic landscape of the Hvar population (mtDNA and NRY lineages) in more detail. MtDNA haplogroups were determined in 169 and NRY haplogroups in 407 autochthonous individuals from the Hvar Island. The relatively high level of diversity of mtDNA and NRY lineages has been observed, however with interesting deviations from both the maternal (F1b1 lineage) and paternal (Q2a1a lineage) perspective. Additionally, population substructuring revealed differences between Hvar communities (east-west substructuring), in line with the ethnohistoric background and observed migration patterns on the island. Genetic analysis of the Hvar islanders presents a highlight of the 50-year long anthropological research on this island and offers insight into the current genetic structure of Dalmatia, Croatia, shaped by dynamic and diverse population movements throughout history.

Background Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), ubiquitous environmental contaminants, may be related to cardiometabolic diseases in adults. Studies in European populations to examine the association of PFAS exposure and comprehensive cardiometabolic traits and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are limited. Methods In this pilot cross-sectional study of a well-characterized adult population of the island of Hvar, situated off the eastern Adriatic coast of Croatia, we measured PFAS concentrations in plasma samples collected during 2007–2008 and examined their cross-sectional associations with cardiometabolic traits and MetS after adjustment of covariates (n = 122). PFAS investigated in this study included perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA). Results The geometric mean (range) was 8.91 (2.36, 33.67) ng/mL for PFOS, 2.87 (1.03, 8.02) ng/mL for PFOA, 0.77 (0.25, 2.40) ng/mL for PFHxS, and 1.29 (0.48, 3.46) ng/mL for PFNA, with frequency of detection at 100%, 100%, 95.9%, and 100%, respectively. PFOS, PFOA, and PFNA concentrations were positively associated with the risk of MetS as defined by the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria, with estimated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals at 1.89 (0.93, 3.86), 2.19 (0.88, 5.44), and 2.95 (1.12, 7.80), respectively, with only PFNA reaching statistical significance. PFNA concentrations were associated with increased risk of overweight or obesity. Conclusions Background exposure to PFOS, PFOA, and PFNA was marginally associated with increased risk of MetS in this small study, and these results should be confirmed with a larger sample size and longitudinal follow-up.

Elite athletes differ from each other in their characteristics according to their discipline. This study aimed to identify performance predictors in elite Croatian sprinters taking into consideration their anthropometric, psychological and genetic characteristics. One hundred and four elite Croatian sprinters (68 males and 36 females) participated in this study. Of them, 38 are currently competing in the 100-metre dash. The others are former sprinters. The participants underwent direct anthropometric assessment. Participants were also tested by means of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 and for ACE and ACTN3 polymorphisms. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to identify the best model for performance prediction. Different models were developed for males and females. Anthropometric traits accounted for 44% of the variance in performance for males, 62% for females. Once other traits (psychological for females) were entered into the model, no additional contribution to the variance was observed. The most significant predictors of higher running velocity were bicristal diameter and foot dimensions in males, and leg length and clean one-repetition maximum in females. The findings suggest that performance in sprinters is associated with anthropometric characteristics, with biomechanical implications that may be used to provide a more complete evaluation of sprinters' performance.

Maternal nutrition and lifestyle in pregnancy are important modifiable factors for both maternal and offspring&rsquo, s health. Although the Mediterranean diet has beneficial effects on health, recent studies have shown low adherence in Europe. This study aimed to assess the Mediterranean diet adherence in 266 pregnant women from Dalmatia, Croatia and to investigate their lifestyle habits and regional differences. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed through two Mediterranean diet scores. Differences in maternal characteristics (diet, education, income, parity, smoking, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), physical activity, contraception) with regards to location and dietary habits were analyzed using the non-parametric Mann&ndash, Whitney U test. The machine learning approach was used to reveal other potential non-linear relationships. The results showed that adherence to the Mediterranean diet was low to moderate among the pregnant women in this study, with no significant mainland&ndash, island differences. The highest adherence was observed among wealthier women with generally healthier lifestyle choices. The most significant mainland&ndash, island differences were observed for lifestyle and socioeconomic factors (income, education, physical activity). The machine learning approach confirmed the findings of the conventional statistical method. We can conclude that adverse socioeconomic and lifestyle conditions were more pronounced in the island population, which, together with the observed non-Mediterranean dietary pattern, calls for more effective intervention strategies.

In the last few decades the prevalence of overweight and obesity has reached epidemic levels worldwide affecting over 2.1 billion people, including a large proportion of women of childbearing age. An adverse intrauterine environment resulting from conditions such as maternal obesity or gestational diabetes, can have long-term negative effect on the child's health later in life. This study focuses on maternal pre-pregnancy BMIs and their association with biochemical profile in pregnancy, delivery mode and size of neonates in the Croatian Islands’ Birth cohort Study (CRIBS). A total of 301 mother-child dyads were included in this study. The classification of the pre-pregnancy nutritional status followed WHO BMI cut-offs. Blood samples of women were taken in the second trimester of pregnancy and analysed for fasting blood glucose level, urates, creatinine, uric acid, total protein, bilirubin, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, potassium, sodium, aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), homocysteine, fibrinogen and lipoprotein A. The neonates’ length in cm and weight in gm were measured immediately after delivery at the University Hospital Split. Differences in mean values of biochemical parameters and neonates’ size between pre-pregnancy BMI categories were tested using One-way ANOVA (p < 0.05) and differences in prevalence of delivery mode using the Chi-square test. Nutritional status before pregnancy showed that 4% of women were underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg.m2), 75.1 % had normal weight (BMI 18.5–24.9 kg.m2), 14.6% were overweight (BMI 25–29.9 kg.m2) and 6.3% were obese (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg.m2). Pre-pregnancy obesity and overweight were significantly associated with elevated fasting glucose (p = 0.02), triglycerides (p = 0.01), and uric acid (p = 0.001) levels, and with decreased protective HDL cholesterol (p = 0.01) during pregnancy. Also, in comparison with normal weight and underweight women, obese pregnant women more often gave birth to heavier (p = 0.01) and longer babies (p = 0.036) and there was a strong correlation between higher pre-pregnancy BMI and delivery mode (p = 0.004). Obese women had 50% chance of giving birth by caesarean section in comparison with 20.1% in normal weight women. Our study confirmed that high maternal pre-pregnancy BMI could be a significant risk factor for both mother's health during pregnancy and different adverse birth outcomes, such as elevated risk of caesarean section delivery and child macrosomia. Therefore, women should be advised to attain normal weight before starting the pregnancy.

Elevated blood pressure (BP) in pregnancy, especially gestational hypertension and preeclampsia, can lead to serious pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes. A large body of literature already reported the effect of baseline body mass index (BMI) on changes in blood pressure during pregnancy. The aim of this study was therefore to define trajectory of systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure in 308 pregnant participants from the CRIBS study (146 from the mainland and 162 from the islands of Brač and Hvar) and to analyze the association of blood pressure with maternal BMI prior to pregnancy and maternal anthropometry during pregnancy. Pregnant women included in the CRIBS study had no history of chronic diseases. The BP of CRIBS participants was measured at least once in each trimester, and maternal pre-pregnancy weight was self-reported. All analyses were performed using SPSS 10.0. Results showed that pre-pregnancy BMI was the strongest predictor of pregnancy blood pressure. This association was evident for pre-pregnancy BMI independently (p

Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death worldwide. The aim of the present study is to verify the performances of a data mining methodology in the evaluation of cardiovascular risk in athletes, and whether the results may be used to support clinical decision making. Anthropometric (height and weight), demographic (age and sex) and biomedical (blood pressure and pulse rate) data of 26,002 athletes were collected in 2012 during routine sport medical examinations, which included electrocardiography at rest. Subjects were involved in competitive sport practice, for which medical clearance was needed. Outcomes were negative for the largest majority, as expected in an active population. Resampling was applied to balance positive/negative class ratio. A decision tree and logistic regression were used to classify individuals as either at risk or not. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to assess classification performances. Data mining and resampling improved cardiovascular risk assessment in terms of increased area under the curve. The proposed methodology can be effectively applied to biomedical data in order to optimize clinical decision making, and&mdash, at the same time&mdash, minimize the amount of unnecessary examinations.

Objectives The research objective of this study is to enlarge and deepen the Y chromosome research on the Croatian population and enable additional insights into the population diversity and historic events that shaped the current genetic landscape of Croatia and Southeastern Europe (SEE). Materials and Methods A high-resolution phylogenetic and phylogeographic analysis of 66 biallelic (SNPs) and 17 microsatellite (STRs) markers of the Y chromosome was performed using 720 Croatian samples. The obtained results were placed in a wider European context by comparison with ∼4450 samples from a number of other European populations. Results A high diversity of haplogroups was observed in the overall Croatian sample, and all typical European Y chromosome haplogroups with corresponding clinal patterns were observed. Three distinct genetic signals were identifiable in the Croatian paternal gene pool - I2a1b-M423, R1a1a1b1a*-M558, and E1b1b1a1b1a-V13 haplogroups. Discussion The analyses of the dominant and autochthonous I2a1b-M423 lineage (>30%) suggest that SEE had a significant role in the Upper Paleolithic, the R1a1a1b1a*-M558 lineage (19%) represents a signal from present day Slavic populations of Central Europe in the Croatian population, and the phylogeography of the E1b1b1a1b1a-V13 clade (around 9%) implies cultural diffusion of agriculture into Europe via the Balkan Peninsula. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:837–845, 2016. © 2016Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A pregnant woman’s nutrition has an impact on her offspring’s birth size. Although health benefits of Mediterranean diet are widely confirmed, the poor compliance with its recommendations has been detected in the population of Dalmatia, coastal region of Croatia. Data from 122 mother–newborn pairs, participants in the ongoing Croatian Islands` Birth Cohort Study (CRIBS), were analyzed: (1) to test whether pregnant women in the study consume Mediterranean diet that is traditional in this area, and (2) to examine the association of maternal diet in pregnancy with newborns` birth weight, length and head circumference. The preliminary results of the factor analysis of 20 items from Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) resulted in two significant factors, both having positive loading with the components of Mediterranean diet. Factor 1 had highest positive loadings for blue fish, white fish, olive oil and fatty cheese consumption consistent with the Mediterranean diet and Factor 2 had highest loading coefficients for fermented milk products (yogurt), sea food, cereals and legumes. Linear regression analyses resulted in model for weight at birth (R2=0.071, p

Health benefits of physical activity during pregnancy include reduced risk of excessive gestational weight gain and conditions such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and preterm birth. The ongoing CRoatian Islands Birth Cohort Study (CRIBS) is the first cohort study in the South-Eastern Europe with an aim to assess the prevalence of risk factors (biological, environmental and behavioral) for the Metabolic Syndrome in populations from Dalmatian islands of Hvar and Brač and coastal Split city with its surroundings. At the time of writing, Over 350 pregnant women and 220 of their newborns have been involved in the study. Here we present the preliminary results of testing the association of mothers` self-estimated physical activity during pregnancy with newborns` anthropometric characteristics (birth weight, length and head circumference) using the data from questionnaires and obstetric records of 116 mother – newborn pairs. The difference in weight-at-birth was detected between newborn girls whose mothers were from Low vs. Intensive physical activity categories, as well as from Moderate vs. Intensive physical activity categories. In addition to that, the significant difference in weight-at-birth and height/length-at-birth was detected between newborn boys whose mothers were from Moderate vs. Intensive physical activity categories (p

This paper presents a review of the 50-year long anthropological and epidemiological research of the Susak population. Island of Susak is an example of extreme genetic isolate, with a very low level of heterozygosity and a significantly high level of inbreeding, due to the practice of endogamy. Its specific features have put the island in the focus of diverse research during the last five decades and in this study we additionally present new insights into the island’s maternal genetic heritage. For this purpose, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup diversity was defined based on SNPs of the control and coding region on the sample of 64 autochthonous individuals from the island. Only three main haplogroups were detected – H, T and one W sample, with a limited number of haplotypes, and certain typical European haplogroups (U, K, J, V, X,) were completely absent. Haplotype analysis revealed five possible founder lineages of altogether 16 different haplotypes. Island of Susak also has the second lowest reported GDV (gene diversity index) among Croatian isolates, which is in line with its reduced mtDNA diversity. Since such island communities are most likely to disappear in the near future, we see these results as a valuable contribution for further population genetics and epidemiological studies.

Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U is among the initial maternal founders in Southwest Asia and Europe and one that best indicates matrilineal genetic continuity between late Pleistocene hunter-gatherer groups and present-day populations of Europe. While most haplogroup U subclades are older than 30 thousand years, the comparatively recent coalescence time of the extant variation of haplogroup U7 (∼16-19 thousand years ago) suggests that its current distribution is the consequence of more recent dispersal events, despite its wide geographical range across Europe, the Near East and South Asia. Here we report 267 new U7 mitogenomes that - analysed alongside 100 published ones - enable us to discern at least two distinct temporal phases of dispersal, both of which most likely emanated from the Near East. The earlier one began prior to the Holocene (∼11.5 thousand years ago) towards South Asia, while the later dispersal took place more recently towards Mediterranean Europe during the Neolithic (∼8 thousand years ago). These findings imply that the carriers of haplogroup U7 spread to South Asia and Europe before the suggested Bronze Age expansion of Indo-European languages from the Pontic-Caspian Steppe region., 0, SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

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.

Aging is a complex process of accumulation of molecular, cellular, and organ damage, leading to loss of function and increased vulnerability to disease and finally to death (1). It is well known that lifestyle choices such as smoking and physical activity can hasten or delay the aging process (2). Such observations have led to the search for molecular markers of age that can be used to predict, monitor, and provide insight into age-associated physiological decline and disease. Protein structure is defined by the sequence of nucleotides in the corresponding genes, thus the polypeptide sequence of a protein cannot change with age. However, an important structural and functional element of the majority of proteins are the glycans that participate in virtually all physiological processes (3). Glycans are product of a complex pathway that involves hundreds of different proteins and are encoded in a complex dynamic network of hundreds of genes (4). Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is expected to affect protein glycosylation and several publications recently reported this effect (5–8). Changes in glycosylation with age have been shown over 20 years ago (9) and have also replicated in recent large population studies (10–13). Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is an excellent model glycoprotein because its glycosylation has been well defined (Figure 1), and many important functional effects of alternative IgG glycosylation have been described (14). For example, glycosylation acts as a switch between pro- and anti-inflammatory IgG functionality. Most of the IgG molecules are not sialylated and are proinflammatory. Terminal α2,6-sialylation of IgG glycans decreases the ability of IgG to bind to activating FcγRs and promotes recognition by DC-SIGN, which increases expression of inhibitory FcγRIIB and is anti-inflammatory (15). Another fascinating example is the role of core fucose in the modulation of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity: IgG-containing glycans that lack core fucose have 100-fold increased affinity for FcγRIIIA and are therefore much more efficient in activating antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity than fucosylated glycoforms of the same molecule (16). On average, 95% of the IgG population is core fucosylated (12); thus, most of the immunoglobulins have a “safety switch,” which prevents them from activating antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Malfunction of this system appears to be associated with autoimmune diseases as indicated by both pleiotropic effects of genes that associate with IgG glycosylation on different inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, and the observed alterations in IgG glycosylation in systemic lupus erythematous (17) and many inflammatory diseases (18). Figure 1. UPLC analysis of immunoglobulin G (IgG) glycosylation. Each IgG contains one conserved N-glycosylation site on Asn197 of its heavy chain. Different glycans can be attached to this site and the process seems to be highly regulated. UPLC analysis can reveal ... Interindividual variability of IgG glycosylation in a population is large (12) and it appears to be affected by both variation in DNA sequence (19) and environmental factors (11). Most of the studies that investigated glycosylation changes with age were either of limited size or were performed on the total plasma glycome; thus, in addition to changes in glycosylation, the observed differences reflected changes in the concentration of individual plasma proteins. In this study, we focused on glycosylation of IgG and analyzed more than 5,000 individuals from four different European populations to provide definitive data about changes in IgG glycosylation through the lifetime.

Main goal of this study was to determine the differences between the athletes who are actively engaged in team vs. individual sports, stratified by age groups and sex, in BMI (Body Mass Index) and other chosen biochemical health indicators. Second goal is directed on forecasting the criterium BMI, on the base of predictors (i.e. chosen morphological and biochemical health indicators, except body height and body mass), for the athletes from team and individual sports, separately for males and females and separately for different age groups. The data were collected during routine medical examinations performed by physicians from the Polyclinic for Occupational Health and Sport in Zagreb. The database comprised medical data obtained in 2011 and 2012 from 8482 athletes in the City of Zagreb. Collected data included height, body mass , BMI, blood pressure (diastolic and systolic), heart rate, hemoglobin, hematocrit, leukocytes, thrombocytes, and sedimentation rate. Inspecting the results, it could be concluded that more statistically significant differences in the variables in research, related to the sport type (team/individual), have been detected in male athletes (as compared with female ones). These differences are more emphasized in team than in the individual sports. More statistically significant predictors are found in males (than in females) and more in team sports. The results could be mainly discussed in terms of the differences among requests in different sports, different levels of professional sport training in certain sports, as well as in terms of sex differences in growth., Glavni cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi razlike između sportaša koji aktivno sudjeluju u momčadskim i pojedinačnim sportovima, stratificiran po dobnim skupinama i spolu, za BMI (indeks tjelesne mase) i druge izabrane biokemijske pokazatelje zdravlja. Drugi cilj je usmjeren na predviđanje kriterija BMI, na temelju prediktora (tj. izabranih morfoloških i biokemijskih pokazatelja zdravlja, osim visine i težine tijela), za sportaše iz momčadskih i pojeidnačnih sportova, odvojeno za muškarce i žene, posebno za različite dobne grupe. Podaci su prikupljeni tijekom rutinskih medicinskih pregleda koje obavljaju liječnici iz Poliklinike za medicinu rada i sporta u Zagrebu. Baza podataka obuhvaća zdravstvene podatke dobivene u 2011. i 2012. godini od 8482 sportaša u Gradu Zagrebu. Prikupljeni podaci uključuju visinu, masu, BMI, krvni tlak (dijastolički i sistolički), puls, hemoglobin, hematokrit, leukocite, trombocite i sedimentaciju. Provjerom rezultata, može se zaključiti da je više statistički značajnih razlika u varijablama istraživanja, koje se odnose na vrstu sporta (momčadski/ pojedinačni), otkriveno kod sportaša (u usporedbi sa sportašicama). Razlike naglašenije u momčadskim nego u pojedinačnim sportovima. Više statistički značajnih prediktora pronađeno je kod sportaša nego kod sportašica, i češće u momčadskim sportovima. Rezultati se uglavnom mogu raspravljati u terminima razlika u zahtjevima u različitim sportovima, različitih razina profesionalnosti sportskog treninga u pojedinim sportovima, kao i u pogledu spolnih razlika u rastu.

Nonlinear multivariate statistical methods have proven to be useful tools in research issues dealing with biocultural diversity. Namely, these methods have less restrictions in their use, as compared with compatible linear methods. This research is the example of using some of these methods. The three indices of biocultural diversity by the variables of biological and cultural diversity have been predicted, based on population size (POP), areal size (AREA) and overall biological and cultural richness (RICH). Then, we have determined: clusters in which different countries can be grouped based on biocultural diversity indices (POP, AREA, RICH), the latent dimensions of the biocultural diversity in the space of biocultural diversity indices (POP, AREA, RICH) and finally, the association between the indices of biodiversity and cultural diversity (POP, AREA, RICH). General conclusion is that nonlinear multivariate methods (together with cluster analysis), in spite of their robustness, can provide useful information to the researchers, on the issues they are interested in (in this example, about biocultural diversity). Of course, these methods are more convenient than linear methods only in the context of absence of clear linear relationships between the variables of interest, while the overfitting problem couldn't be avoided in both cases.

Objectives were to investigate changes in adipose tissue distribution using ultrasonography of the subcutaneous and preperitoneal adipose tissue during pregnancy. The sample included 400 pregnant women. The research was prospective and statistically designed as a controlled observation using a random sampling method. The adipose tissue was estimated by ultrasonography, five times during the pregnancy. The minimal thickness of the subcutaneous (Smin) and maximal thickness of the preperitoneal (Pmax) was obtained using the Suzuki method. Analysis of variance and the Bonferroni post hoc test for multiple comparisons were calculated. Smin values have a decreasing trend, while Pmax values have an increasing trend, independent of the body mass index. No statistically significant differences in Smin and Pmax have been noted for the observed week intervals until the 20th pregnanacy week. Smin values for the week intervals 12 and 16, as well as for the Pmax week intervals 12, 16, and 20, were statistically significantly different when compared with the values obtained for the week intervals 32 and 37 (p50.05). No difference has been observed between nulliparous and multiparous pregnancies. The adipose tissue distribution during pregnancy shows a tendency towards a decreased accumulation of subcutaneous and increased accumulation of preperitoneal adipose tissue.

The research objective of this study is to enlarge and deepen the Y chromosome research on the Croatian population and enable additional insights into the population diversity and historic events that shaped the current genetic landscape of Croatia and Southeastern Europe (SEE).A high-resolution phylogenetic and phylogeographic analysis of 66 biallelic (SNPs) and 17 microsatellite (STRs) markers of the Y chromosome was performed using 720 Croatian samples. The obtained results were placed in a wider European context by comparison with ∼4450 samples from a number of other European populations.A high diversity of haplogroups was observed in the overall Croatian sample, and all typical European Y chromosome haplogroups with corresponding clinal patterns were observed. Three distinct genetic signals were identifiable in the Croatian paternal gene pool - I2a1b-M423, R1a1a1b1a*-M558, and E1b1b1a1b1a-V13 haplogroups.The analyses of the dominant and autochthonous I2a1b-M423 lineage (30%) suggest that SEE had a significant role in the Upper Paleolithic, the R1a1a1b1a*-M558 lineage (19%) represents a signal from present day Slavic populations of Central Europe in the Croatian population, and the phylogeography of the E1b1b1a1b1a-V13 clade (around 9%) implies cultural diffusion of agriculture into Europe via the Balkan Peninsula. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:837-845, 2016. © 2016Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is the leading cause of high morbidity and mortality wordlwide, with enormous impact on population health and medical costs. Its prevalence is more than 30% in the general Croatian population, raising up to 50% in certain Croatian island populations. Institute for Anthropological Research is involved in several ongoing projects related to the investigation of MetS and other complex diseases and this presentation offers an overview of its past, present and future activities in this specific field of research.

The objective of the study was to examine the association between fish and shellfish intake and diabetes in an island population, and the design of the study was Cross-sectional. Two independent population-based field surveys were conducted in Hvar Island of the eastern Adriatic coast of Croatia in May 2007 and May 2008, with a total of 1, 379 adult participants. In multivariable logistic regression models, total fish intake was positively associated with diabetes prevalence in the total population (OR Q4 vs. Q1=1.64 ; 95% CI=1.01- 2.66 ; p-trend=0.09). Oily fish intake also exhibited a positive association with diabetes prevalence in the total population (OR Q4 vs. Q1=2.22 ; 95% CI=1.35- 3.64 ; p-trend=0.01) and in analyses stratified by body mass index, males and those with a high waist circumference. The study suggests an association between oily fish intake and diabetes in the population of the Hvar Island in Croatia. Longitudinal studies incorporating measures of persistent organic pollutants and local cooking practices are warranted to identify factors in fatty fish that may influence the development or persistence of diabetes.

A high-resolution phylogenetic and phylogeographic analysis of SNPs and STRs on the Y chromosome was performed on 720 samples from four continental and eight insular Croatian subpopulations. The obtained results were then placed in a wider European context by comparing them with a large dataset from other European populations. A high diversity of haplogroups was observed in the overall sample, and all typical European Y chromosome haplogroups with corresponding clinal patterns were observed. However, the frequencies of certain haplogroups differed significantly across some subpopulations due to the effect of evolutionary forces. Three major Y chromosome haplogroups were in the focus of this study. The analyses of the dominant and autochtonous I2a2-M423 lineage (>30%) suggest the existence of the Balkan refugium in the Paleolithic, the R1a1a1c*-M558 lineage (19%) represents a signal from present day Slavic populations from nothern/central Europe in the Croatian population and the phylogeography of the E1b1b1a2-V13 clade (9%) implies cultural diffusion of agriculture into Europe.

International audience; : R1a-M420 is one of the most widely spread Y-chromosome haplogroups; however, its substructure within Europe and Asia has remained poorly characterized. Using a panel of 16 244 male subjects from 126 populations sampled across Eurasia, we identified 2923 R1a-M420 Y-chromosomes and analyzed them to a highly granular phylogeographic resolution. Whole Y-chromosome sequence analysis of eight R1a and five R1b individuals suggests a divergence time of ∼25 000 (95% CI: 21 300-29 000) years ago and a coalescence time within R1a-M417 of ∼5800 (95% CI: 4800-6800) years. The spatial frequency distributions of R1a sub-haplogroups conclusively indicate two major groups, one found primarily in Europe and the other confined to Central and South Asia. Beyond the major European versus Asian dichotomy, we describe several younger sub-haplogroups. Based on spatial distributions and diversity patterns within the R1a-M420 clade, particularly rare basal branches detected primarily within Iran and eastern Turkey, we conclude that the initial episodes of haplogroup R1a diversification likely occurred in the vicinity of present-day Iran.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 26 March 2014; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2014.50.

Undesirable behaviors are obstacles for the physical development of a child and for other children in kindergarten, while desirable social skills contribute to the constructive resolution of conflicts among children and to prosocial behaviors. The objectives of the study were: to construct estimation scales of social skills and undesirable behaviors of children ; to determine the age and gender differences in the dimensions of both newly constructed measuring instruments ; to determine the correlation between the dimensions of the undesirable behaviors of children and their prosocial skills. Teachers assessed the list of characteristics for 597 boys and girls of preschool age. We constructed two measuring instrument with very satisfactory psychometric properties for the assessment of prosocial behaviors of preschool children, as well as to assess children's socially undesirable behaviors. It was shown that the behaviors that describe the passive social skills are more frequent in girls, while boys more often manifest reactive undesirable behaviors. Older children more often show active social skills and instrumental undesirable behaviors, while they less frequently exhibit reactive undesirable behaviors.

Undesirable behaviors are obstacles for the physical development of a child and for other children in kindergarten, while desirable social skills contribute to the constructive resolution of conflicts among children and to prosocial behaviors. The objectives of the study were: to construct estimation scales of social skills and undesirable behaviors of children; to determine the age and gender differences in the dimensions of both newly constructed measuring instruments; to determine the correlation between the dimensions of the undesirable behaviors of children and their prosocial skills. Teachers assessed the list of characteristics for 597 boys and girls of preschool age. We constructed two measuring instrument with very satisfactory psychometric properties for the assessment of prosocial behaviors of preschool children, as well as to assess children's socially undesirable behaviors. It was shown that the behaviors that describe the passive social skills are more frequent in girls, while boys more often manifest reactive undesirable behaviors. Older children more often show active social skills and instrumental undesirable behaviors, while they less frequently exhibit reactive undesirable behaviors., Nepoželjni oblici ponašanja su prepreka psihofizičkom razvoju djeteta koje ih pokazuje te ostaloj djeci u dječjem vrtiću, dok poželjne socijalne vještine doprinose konstruktivnom razrješavanju konflikata među djecom i prosocijalnim oblicima ponašanja. Ciljevi istraživanja bili su: konstruirati skale procjene socijalnih vještina te nepoželjnih oblika ponašanja djece, utvrditi dobne i rodne razlike u dimenzijama oba novokonstruirana mjerna instrumenta; utvrditi povezanosti između dimenzija nepoželjnih oblika ponašanja djece i njihovih prosocijalnih vještina. Odgojiteljice su procijenile listu obilježja za 597 dječaka i djevojčica predškolske dobi. Konstruirali smo dva mjerna instrumenta sa vrlo zadovoljavajućim metrijskim karakteristikama za procjenu prosocijalnih oblika ponašanja djece predškolske dobi. Pokazalo se da su kod djevojčica češće zastupljena ponašanja koja opisuju dimenziju pasivnih socijalnih vještina, dok dječaci značajno češće manifestiraju reaktivna nepoželjna ponašanja. Starija djeca značajno češće manifestiraju aktivne socijalne vještine, te instrumentalna nepoželjna ponašanja, dok rjeđe pokazuju reaktivna nepoželjna ponašanja. Povezanosti između nepoželjnih i prosocijalnih ponašanja većinom su niske, premda statistički značajne.

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.

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.

Aim To analyze an additional set of 'Y-chromosome genetic markers to acquire a more detailed insight into the diversity of the Croatian population. Methods A total of 518 Yfiler Plus profiles were genotyped. Allele frequencies, haplotype frequencies, and haplotype diversity were calculated by using the STRAF software v. 2.0.4. Genetic distances were quantified by Rst with AMOVA online tool from the YHRD. The evolutionary history was inferred with the neighbor-joining method of phylogenetic tree construction in the MEGAX software. Whit Athey's Haplogroup Predictor v. 5 was used for additional comparison with regional and other European populations. Results A total of 507 haplotypes were used for genetic STR analysis. An interpopulation study on 17 Y-STR markers showed the lowest genetic diversity between the Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian populations and the highest between the Croatian and Irish populations. Additional interpopulation comparison with the original 27 Y-STR markers (for the population with available data) was also performed. A total of 518 haplotypes were used in the determination of haplogroup diversity. Haplogroup I with its sublineage I2a expressed the highest prevalence. The second most prevalent haplogroup was R, with its major sublineage R1a, except for the subpopulation of Hvar, where E1b1b was the second most prevalent haplogroup. Rare haplogroups also confirmed in this study were L, T, and Q. G1 was detected for the first time in the Croatian population. Conclusion We obtained a new insight into the differences between examined subpopulations of Croatia and their possible (dis)similarities with neighboring and distant populations.