Bioprospecting of Five Ocimum sp. Cultivars from Croatia: New Potential for Dietary and Dermatological Application with Embryotoxicity Tests

Ocimum basilicum L. is the most common Ocimum species, and it is used as an ornamental plant and in food condiments. This unique study examined the chemical composition and biological activities of six extracts from five basil cultivars, including their antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antilipidemic, neuroprotective, and anticollagenase activity. Moreover, their toxicological effects were studied using the zebrafish Danio rerio. Volatile components were determined using HS-SPME and GC-MS, while total polyphenols were detected using HPLC and the spectrophotometric Folin-Ciocalteu method. Spectrophotometric assays (DPPH, ABTS, ORAC, FRAP) were performed to determine antioxidant activity, collagenase inhibition, acetylcholinesterase inhibition, and pancreatic lipase inhibition. Antimicrobial activity was determined using the broth microdilution test. The study found that the biological activities of different basil cultivars varied depending on the proportion of active compounds, as determined by chemical analyses. All six basil extracts significantly inhibited α-amylase, while Purple basil extract most significantly inhibited the activity of collagenase, acetylcholinesterase, and pancreatic lipase. Purple basil and Dark Opal basil I extracts exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity, while the Dark Opal basil II extract had the most significant antioxidant potential. The findings in this study suggest that ethanolic basil extracts have the potential to be used as dietary drugs and implemented in antiaging products. This study is unique in its aims to compare the chemical composition and biological activities of basil cultivars from Croatia and to evaluate potential toxicological effects through embryotoxicity tests on zebrafish Danio rerio embryos, and it reports the first evidence of anticollagenase, antidiabetic, and antilipidemic activities for these cultivars.

Intra-Species Variations of Bioactive Compounds of Two Dictyota Species from the Adriatic Sea: Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, Dermatological, Dietary, and Neuroprotective Potential

The marine environment has a significant impact on life on Earth. Organisms residing in it are vital for the ecosystem but also serve as an inexhaustible source of biologically active compounds. Herein, the biodiversity of two brown seaweeds, Dictyota dichotoma and Dictyota fasciola from the Adriatic Sea, was evaluated. The aim of the study was the determination of differences in compound composition while comparing their activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and enzyme inhibition, in connection to human digestion, dermatology, and neurological disorders. Chemical analysis revealed several terpenoids and steroids as dominant molecules, while fucoxanthin was the main identified pigment in both algae. D. dichotoma had higher protein, carbohydrate, and pigment content. Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids were identified, with the highest amount of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid and α-linolenic acid in D. dichotoma. Antimicrobial testing revealed a dose-dependent inhibitory activity of methanolic fraction against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Moderate antioxidant activity was observed for both algae fractions, while the dietary potential was high, especially for the D. fasciola dichloromethane fraction, with inhibition percentages of around 92% for α-amylase and 57% for pancreatic lipase at 0.25 mg/mL. These results suggest that Dictyota species might be a potent source of naturally derived agents for obesity and diabetes.

Psychiatric care in Croatia during COVID-19 lockdown and earthquake: significant decrease in admissions to University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapce in Zagreb

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on both physical and mental health of people around the world.

Objectives

The aim of the study was to evaluate the number and characteristics of people seeking emergency psychiatric help during combined psychosocial stressful events in March 2020.

Methods

Data for 3927 patients seeking emergency psychiatric help were collected and analyzed for the months preceding, during and after lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic and concomitant earthquake that took place on 22nd March 2020 in Zagreb, and compared with the same months of 2019.

Results

A significant decrease in both the number of visits and admissions to the hospital was found for the month of lockdown. There was a significant decrease in the number of out-patients visits and day hospital admissions. Compared with other months, more women and younger patients sought help. There was a significant rise in the number of patients presenting with suicidal thoughts, as well as a larger percentage of involuntary admissions.

Conclusions

Overall less people sought psychiatric help in the face of an unpredictable acute threat, which was interpreted in the light of prioritizing fear of infection over mental health issues. Alternatively, it is possible that people threatened with immediate danger mobilize short- term compensatory psychological resources which help deal with or put off mental illness. This research was conducted as part of the project of the Croatian Science Foundation CORONA-04-2086 Life in the time of COVID-19-social implications on the security and well-being of vulnerable groups in the European context.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Biotechnological Enhancement of Probiotics through Co-Cultivation with Algae: Future or a Trend?

The diversity of algal species is a rich source of many different bioactive metabolites. The compounds extracted from algal biomass have various beneficial effects on health. Recently, co-culture systems between microalgae and bacteria have emerged as an interesting solution that can reduce the high contamination risk associated with axenic cultures and, consequently, increase biomass yield and synthesis of active compounds. Probiotic microorganisms also have numerous positive effects on various aspects of health and represent potent co-culture partners. Most studies consider algae as prebiotics that serve as enhancers of probiotics performance. However, the extreme diversity of algal organisms and their ability to produce a plethora of metabolites are leading to new experimental designs in which these organisms are cultivated together to derive maximum benefit from their synergistic interactions. The future success of these studies depends on the precise experimental design of these complex systems. In the last decade, the development of high-throughput approaches has enabled a deeper understanding of global changes in response to interspecies interactions. Several studies have shown that the addition of algae, along with probiotics, can influence the microbiota, and improve gut health and overall yield in fish, shrimp, and mussels aquaculture. In the future, such findings can be further explored and implemented for use as dietary supplements for humans.

The Stereological Analysis and Spatial Distribution of Neurons in the Human Subthalamic Nucleus

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a small, ovoid structure, and an important site of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Although the STN is a clinically important structure, there are many unresolved issues with regard to it. These issues are especially related to the anatomical subdivision, neuronal phenotype, neuronal composition, and spatial distribution. In this study, we have examined the expression pattern of 8 neuronal markers [nNOS, NeuN, parvalbumin (PV), calbindin (CB), calretinin (CR), FOXP2, NKX2.1, and PAX6] in the adult human STN. All of the examined markers, except CB, were present in the STN. To determine the neuronal density, we have performed stereological analysis on Nissl-stained and immunohistochemical slides of positive markers. The stereology data were also used to develop a three-dimensional map of the spatial distribution of neurons within the STN. The nNOS population exhibited the largest neuronal density. The estimated total number of nNOS STN neurons is 281,308 ± 38,967 (± 13.85%). The STN neuronal subpopulations can be divided into two groups: one with a neuronal density of approximately 3,300 neurons/mm³ and the other with a neuronal density of approximately 2,200 neurons/mm³. The largest density of STN neurons was observed along the ventromedial border of the STN and the density gradually decreased toward the dorsolateral border. In this study, we have demonstrated the presence of 7 neuronal markers in the STN, three of which were not previously described in the human STN. The human STN is a collection of diverse, intermixed neuronal subpopulations, and our data, as far as the cytoarchitectonics is concerned, did not support the tripartite STN subdivision.

Possibility of Human Gender Recognition Using Raman Spectra of Teeth

Gender determination of the human remains can be very challenging, especially in the case of incomplete ones. Herein, we report a proof-of-concept experiment where the possibility of gender recognition using Raman spectroscopy of teeth is investigated. Raman spectra were recorded from male and female molars and premolars on two distinct sites, tooth apex and anatomical neck. Recorded spectra were sorted into suitable datasets and initially analyzed with principal component analysis, which showed a distinction between spectra of male and female teeth. Then, reduced datasets with scores of the first 20 principal components were formed and two classification algorithms, support vector machine and artificial neural networks, were applied to form classification models for gender recognition. The obtained results showed that gender recognition with Raman spectra of teeth is possible but strongly depends both on the tooth type and spectrum recording site. The difference in classification accuracy between different tooth types and recording sites are discussed in terms of the molecular structure difference caused by the influence of masticatory loading or gender-dependent life events.

Accidental death from a fall from height at workplace turned out to be a COVID-19 death

Coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) has rapidly evolved into a pandemic during the first months of 2020. The general extent of organ involvement, as well as microscopic changes in the organs of the diseased remains insufficiently documented so far. Herein we are reporting the case of a Caucasian male who apparently died in a workplace allegedly by a fall from height and was found to be SARS-CoV-2 positive just prior to the autopsy. The circumstances of his death required a medicolegal investigation. Gross autopsy findings included minor external injuries and focal subarachnoid hemorrhage together with ribs and sternum fractures resulting from resuscitation attempt. In addition, visceral congestion was noticed, especially visible in lungs. Traumatic findings suitable to explain sudden death were absent. However, lungs histopathology analysis revealed diffuse alveolar damage with massive capillary congestion. Pathology in other organs included myocardial fibrosis, left ventricular hypertrophy, severe generalized atherosclerosis, glomerulosclerosis, focal liver necrosis, liver microabscesses and intrahepatal cholestasis. Lab test confirmed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharygeal swab taken postmortem. Only afterwards, the investigation brought out that he was suffering complaints consistent with respiratory infection in the days before death. Based on all findings, the death was ruled as natural, caused by COVID-19. Learnings from this case urge medical staff in the autopsy suite to consider the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in sudden deaths during the pandemic, to enable adequate personal protection gear is worn and to ensure the proper cause of death is determined where misleading circumstances exist.

Investigation of WWII/postwar mass burials in Croatia-The implementation of the Croatian model of searching for the imprisoned and missing persons

The search for victims of World War Two (WWII) and the immediate aftermath period (postwar) in Croatia started together with the search for Homeland War victims in 1991. It continued through years, most often sporadically and in a non-homogenous way. It was just with the adoption of the Law on Research, Arrangement and Maintenance of Military Cemeteries, Cemeteries of Victims of WWII and Postwar Period in 2013 that the search became more structured and gained a formal governmental body responsible for the organization and supervision of the activities related to it. It was then that the well-established model of searching for Homeland War victims, based on many years of field work and research, started to be implemented in the search and analysis of WWII/postwar victims. The model represents a continuously growing and developing project which encompasses a wide variety of steps and procedures, from the investigation of alleged burial locations to the analysis and reburial of recovered mortal remains. From its implementation in 2016, it allowed the successful investigation of 1300 alleged burial locations, 484 field surveys, 42 exhumations and the recovery of remains of more than 1600 individuals. Besides, care for military cemeteries, marking of mass burial sites and arranging of international treaties are conducted in order to guarantee proper handling, relocation and repatriation of all those that perished during WWII and the postwar period.

Acetabular osteometric standards for sex estimation in contemporary Croatian population

Aim

To determine the sexual dimorphism of acetabular measurements in contemporary Croatian population and to provide a discriminant function equation for sex estimation.

Methods

The sample consisted of 200 adult pelvic bones (100 male and 100 female) from positively identified victims of Croatian War of Independence. In total, 96 left (48 male and 48 female) and 104 right (52 male and 52 female) acetabula were measured. One author measured two acetabular parameters using a sliding caliper: acetabular diameter (AD) and transverse acetabular diameter (TAD). Another author re-measured the acetabula of 40 randomly selected individuals to determine the inter-observer error.

Results

Both measured variables showed significant sexual dimorphism. Men had significantly higher values for AD and TAD than women. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the cut-off point for prediction of male sex when using acetabular diameter was higher than 54 mm. For transverse acetabular diameter it was higher than 52 mm. The discriminant function was generated by using both acetabular variables, with 88% of accuracy in sex estimation. Inter-observer error was not significant.

Conclusion

The acetabular measurements can be used for sex estimation in contemporary Croatian population with high accuracy.

Case of Fatal Starvation: Can Stable Isotope Analysis Serve to Support Morphological Diagnosis and Approximate the Length of Starvation?

The diagnosis of death as a result of starvation is established on anthropological measurements, visual appearance of the deceased on external and internal examination, microscopic analysis, laboratory testing, and exclusion of other causes of death. Herein, we present our findings on a case of 95-year-old man who died of starvation. After the diagnosis of starvation was established by traditional forensic medicine methods, we have conducted retrospective segmental analysis of stable carbon (δ¹³ C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵ N) isotope ratios in hair sample. This method reveals periods of starvation through decrease in δ¹³ C and increase in δ¹⁵ N along the strand of hair. Our analysis revealed the decrease of 0.6 ‰ in δ¹³ C during the last 10-12 weeks prior to death, similar as reported in other investigations. Also, a decrease of 0.7 ‰ in δ¹⁵ N during the last 8-10 weeks prior to death was determined that was different than observed in previous studies.

Neocortical calretinin neurons in primates: increase in proportion and microcircuitry structure

In this article we first point at the expansion of associative cortical areas in primates, as well as at the intrinsic changes in the structure of the cortical column. There is a huge increase in proportion of glutamatergic cortical projecting neurons located in the upper cortical layers (II/III). Inside this group, a novel class of associative neurons becomes recognized for its growing necessity in both inter-areal and intra-areal columnar integration. Equally important to the changes in glutamatergic population, we found that literature data suggest a 50% increase in the proportion of neocortical GABAergic neurons between primates and rodents. This seems to be a result of increase in proportion of calretinin interneurons in layers II/III, population which in associative areas represents 15% of all neurons forming those layers. Evaluating data about functional properties of their connectivity we hypothesize that such an increase in proportion of calretinin interneurons might lead to supra-linear growth in memory capacity of the associative neocortical network. An open question is whether there are some new calretinin interneuron subtypes, which might substantially change micro-circuitry structure of the primate cerebral cortex.