Halogenated boroxine increases propensity to apoptosis in leukemia (UT-7) but not non-tumor cells in vitro.

A hallmark of the development of solid and hematological malignancies is the dysregulation of apoptosis, which leads to an imbalance between cell proliferation, cell survival and death. Halogenated boroxine [K (B O F OH)] (HB) is a derivative of cyclic anhydride of boronic acid, with reproducible anti-tumor and anti-proliferative effects in different cell models. Notably, these changes are observed to be more profound in tumor cells than in normal cells.

Air pollution in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, assessed by plant comet assay.

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.

In silico prediction suggests inhibitory effect of halogenated boroxine on human catalase and carbonic anhydrase.

Background: This research work included bioinformatics modeling of the dipotassium-trioxohydroxytetrafluorotriborate-halogenated boroxine molecule, as well as simulation and prediction of structural interactions between the halogenated boroxine molecule, human carbonic anhydrase, and human catalase structures. Using computational methods, we tried to confirm the inhibitory effect of halogenated boroxine on the active sites of these previously mentioned enzymes. The three-dimensional crystal structures of human catalase (PDB ID: 1DGB) and human carbonic anhydrase (PDB ID: 6FE2) were retrieved from RCSB Protein Data Bank and the protein preparation was performed using AutoDock Tools.

Genetic Diversity of Bosnian and Herzegovinian Autochthonous Dog Breed Bosnian Broken-Haired Hound-Barak.

Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) classifies a group of hound dogs in the sixth FCI group divided into three sections and three subsections that include 76 dog breeds. With the Istrian wire-haired hound, the Bosnian broken-haired hound-Barak is one of the two internationally recognized and standardized broken-haired hound breeds from the Balkans. However, genotyping of this breed has not been the subject of study so far.

Effect of asymptomatic transmission and emergence time on multi-strain viral disease severity.

In a viral epidemic, the emergence of a novel strain with increased transmissibility (larger value of basic reproduction number R0) sparks the fear that the increase in transmissibility is likely to lead to an increase in disease severity. It is required to investigate if a new, more contagious strain will be necessarily dominant in the population and resulting in more disease severity. In this paper, the impact of the asymptomatic transmission and the emergence time of a more transmissible variant of a multi-strain viral disease on the disease prevalence, disease severity, and the dominant variant in an epidemic was investigated by a proposed 2-strain epidemic model.

Medical personnel occupationally exposed to low-dose ionising radiation in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: A cytogenetic study.

Medical radiation exposures have been reduced significantly with modern equipment and protection measures. Biomonitoring of medical personnel can provide information concerning possible effects of radiation exposure. However, chromosome aberration (CA) analysis is now recommended only when the estimated effective dose is 200 mSv or higher.

A pilot biomonitoring study of air pollution in the urban area of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: genotoxicity assessment in buccal cells.

Air pollution, recognized as a human carcinogen, is a significant cause of death in industrial and developing countries, and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is one of the leading countries for air pollution-caused death rate and has the poorest urban air quality in Europe. Despite a population decrease, urban air pollution in B&H has increased due to traffic pollution and still intensive use of solid fuel for heating and cooking. Human biomonitoring studies, regarding the described air pollution, have not been conducted before, and particularly have not been conducted in the region of Sarajevo.

A review of graphene quantum dots and their potential biomedical applications.

Today, nanobiotechnology is a pioneering technology in biomedicine. Every day, new nanomaterials are synthesized with elevated physiochemical properties for better diagnosis and treatment of diseases. One advancing class of materials is the Graphene family.

Identification of UBA1 as the causative gene of an X-linked non-Kennedy spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy.

Background And Purpose: Spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) (Kennedy's disease) is a motor neuron disease. Kennedy's disease is nearly exclusively caused by mutations in the androgen receptor encoding gene (AR). The results of studies aimed at identification of the genetic cause of a disease that best approximates SBMA in a pedigree (four patients) without mutations in AR are reported.

The relationship between common mutations in CFTR, AR genes, Y chromosome microdeletions and karyotyping abnormalities with very severe oligozoospermia in Iranian men.

Background: Male infertility due to very severe oligozoospermia has been associated with some genetic risk factors.

Objective: To investigate the distribution of the mutations in the CFTR gene, the CAG-repeat expansion of the AR gene, also Y chromosome microdeletions and karyotyping abnormalities in very severe oligozoospermia patients.

Methods: In the present case-control study, 200 patients and 200 fertile males were enrolled.

Confirmation of Hyperimmunoglobulin E Syndrome in Two Patients with an Ocular Problem: Detection of Two New DOCK8 Mutations.

Early diagnosis of primary immunodeficiencies is crucial for timely treatment and preventing unwanted complications. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and detailed clinical and immunological evaluation can help early detect such disorders. This study aimed to confirm the diagnosis of two cases of autosomal recessive hyper-immunoglobulin E (IgE) syndrome (AR-HIES), presenting with irreversible eye involvement.

Hyaluronic acid production and characterization by novel Bacillus subtilis harboring truncated Hyaluronan Synthase.

Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is a natural biopolymer that has important physiological and industrial applications due to its viscoelastic and hydrophilic characteristics. The responsible enzyme for HA production is Hyaluronan synthase (HAS). Although in vitro structure-function of intact HAS enzyme has been partly identified, there is no data on in vivo function of truncated HAS forms.

Rapid and Highly Sensitive Detection of Target DNA Related to COVID-19 Virus With a Fluorescent Bio-conjugated Probe via a FRET Mechanism.

A novel cyanine 3 (Cy3)-based bio-conjugated sensor has been developed to detect target DNA or extracted RNA from COVID -19 samples using the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiment. A special sequence of the COVID -19 genome was selected as a complementary DNA (target DNA) part. The opposite chain of this target sequence was designed in 2 parts; one part was attached to the Cy3 organic dye (capture DNA or Cy3- DNA), and the other part was attached to the BHQ molecule (quencher DNA or BHQ- DNA).

Structural and inhibitory effects of fulvic and humic acids against tyrosinase.

Inhibition of tyrosinase activity can control fruit browning and preserve the flavor and nutritional value of food. The impacts of fulvic acid (FA) and humic acid (HA) on tyrosinase activity were investigated utilizing circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence spectroscopy, molecular docking (MD), and molecular dynamics simulations. HA and FA demonstrated a mixed type of inhibition with K 2.

Genetic diversity of Banat Naked Neck, indigenous chicken breed from Serbia, inferred from mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequence and microsatellite markers.

Banat Naked Neck is the most important indigenous breed of chickens in Serbia. Marginalized until recently, it is becoming increasingly popular due to its adaptability and good productivity in alternative production systems. However, its history and the current breeding model pose challenges for breed preservation and future improvement.

The prevalence of common CFTR gene mutations and polymorphisms in infertile Iranian men with very severe oligozoospermia.

Due to progress in infertility etiology, several genetic bases of infertility are revealed today. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of mutations in the CFTR gene, M470V polymorphism, and IVS8 poly T. Furthermore, we aimed to examine the hotspot exons (4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 20, and 21 exons) to find a new mutation in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene among infertile Iranian men very severe oligozoospermia (<1 million sperm/mL ejaculate fluid).

Responsible Research and Innovation Framework, the Nagoya Protocol and Other European Blue Biotechnology Strategies and Regulations: Gaps Analysis and Recommendations for Increased Knowledge in the Marine Biotechnology Community.

As the quest for marine-derived compounds with pharmacological and biotechnological potential upsurges, the importance of following regulations and applying Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) also increases. This article aims at: (1) presenting an overview of regulations and policies at the international and EU level, while demonstrating a variability in their implementation; (2) highlighting the importance of RRI in biodiscovery; and (3) identifying gaps and providing recommendations on how to improve the market acceptability and compliance of novel Blue Biotechnology compounds. This article is the result of the work of the Working Group 4 "Legal aspects, IPR and Ethics" of the COST Action CA18238 Ocean4Biotech, a network of more than 130 Marine Biotechnology scientists and practitioners from 37 countries.

Investigation of Possible Changes Induced by RNA Silencing in Some Leaf Metabolites of Transgenic Sugar Beet Events.

Sugar beet is vulnerable to rhizomania as the most destructive viral disease. Two selected events of transgenic sugar beet carrying cassettes inducing RNA silencing mechanism, 219-T3:S3-13.2 (S3) and 6018-T3:S6-44 (S6), were shown to inhibit propagation of , the causative agent.

Insights into the inhibitory mechanism of skullcapflavone II against α-synuclein aggregation and its mediated cytotoxicity.

The dangerous self-assembled and infectious seeds of α-synuclein (αSN) play primary roles in Parkinson's disease. Accordingly, the inhibition of αSN fibrillation and elimination of toxic aggregates are the main therapeutic strategies. Skullcapflavone II (S.

A novel spray bioreactor for the proliferation of plant callus; Hyoscyamus niger and Arnebia pulchra.

Objective: Unlike plant cell suspension culture, the proliferation of callus in bioreactors has received inadequate attention. The magnificent potential of plant callus becomes more appreciated as the research unfolds and promises interesting applications including the production of valuable metabolites, therapeutic antibodies, bioactive extracts with regenerating effects, and the generation of genetically improved plants. Issues such as the lack of 3D-access of the cells to the nutrients, using an interfering gelling substance as the support matrix, and the changes in the medium formulation during the growth phase were discouraging factors for extending research on this topic.

Novel boron-containing compound, halogenated boroxine, induces selective cytotoxicity through apoptosis triggering in UT-7 leukemia.

Apoptosis induction is a promising approach in targeting tumor cells. As halogenated boroxine (HB) shows antitumor activity, but its mechanism of action in hematological tumors remains unclear, in this study, we aimed to analyze apoptosis triggering in normal and UT-7 leukemia cells by HB. Methods for assessing cell viability and cytotoxicity, apoptosis detection, relative expression of 84 apoptosis-associated genes and BCL-2, and functional analysis were applied.

Identification of novel mutations among Iranian NPC1 patients: a bioinformatics approach to predict pathogenic mutations.

Background: Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is a rare lysosomal neurovisceral storage disease caused by mutations in the NPC 1 (95%) or NPC2 (5%) genes. The products of NPC1 and NPC2 genes play considerable roles in glycolipid and cholesterol trafficking, which could consequently lead to NPC disease with variable phenotypes displaying a broad spectrum of symptoms.

Materials: In the present study 35 Iranian NPC unrelated patients were enrolled.

Sporadic chromosome translocation frequencies in lymphocyte cultures - a retrospective study in a cohort of patients from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Aim Chromosome translocations are considered as one of the most severe forms of genome defects. Because of the clinical significance of chromosome translocations and scarce data on the incidence of sporadic translocations in population of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we aimed to report sporadic translocation frequencies in samples karyotyped in our laboratory. Methods The study group consisted of 108 samples.

Novel phenotype and genotype spectrum of WDR62 in two patients with associated primary autosomal recessive microcephaly.

Background: Microcephaly is a prominent feature of patients with primary autosomal recessive microcephaly 2 (MCPH2) caused by mutations in the WD Repeat Domain 62 (WDR62; OMIM: 613,583).

Aim: The study aimed to identify the underlying genetic factor(s) causing microcephaly in two patients in a consanguineous Iranian family.

Methods: Two male patients (11 and 27 years old) were noticed due to microcephaly, neurodevelopmental delay, and occasional seizures.

Paternal genetic structure of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Roma: A Y-chromosomal STR study.

Objectives: Studies indicate the complex nature of the genetic structure of the European Roma which has been shaped by different effects of their demographic history, while preserving their ancestral Indian origin. The primary aims of this study were to present for the first time the paternal profiles of the Roma from Bosnia and Herzegovina based on the data from Y-chromosome STR loci, identify the components of non-Roma paternal gene flow into the Roma, and evaluate the genetic relationships with other European Roma populations.

Materials And Methods: In this study, 110 DNA samples of unrelated males from Roma populations residing in different regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina were genotyped using the 23 Y-STR loci included in the PowerPlex Y23 system.