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Acromegaly is a rare disfiguring disease caused by hypersecretion of the growth hormone from the pituitary adenomas. Body proportions, including bones of the hand, have been widely used to estimate anthropometric measures, such as stature. The main aim of this study was to compare stature, hand length, and stature/hand length ratio in healthy and patients with acromegaly and evaluate the accuracy of using hand length for the estimation of stature in patients with acromegaly. A total of 44 patients with acromegaly were analyzed in comparison to the control group of 8944 phenotypically healthy individuals. Measurement data were analyzed using parametric and nonparametric tests, linear categorical regression (in healthy populations, and ordinal regression (in patients with acromegaly). The results show that the criterion stature could be predicted with hand length in both male and female individuals with acromegaly, while the amount of variance explained is something higher in males. Both in males and females, the stature/hand length ratio is higher in healthy individuals compared to acromegalic ones. This information might be of use to endocrinologists, rheumatologists, forensic scientist as well as in research where anthropometric characterization is performed. Namely, stature estimation could be assessed inaccurately if acromegalic patients are included in the sample.

In 2015, the first birth cohort study in Croatia, named “Croatian Islands Birth Cohort Study (CRIBS)” was initiated. Our aim was to prospectively follow a sample of 500 pregnant women and their children in two sub-populations – island population (Croatian Dalmatian islands - Hvar and Brač) and mainland population (City of Split with its surroundings). Data on social factors (age, marital status, education, employment, income, religious views, number of children), psychosocial factors (quality of life, health beliefs and attitudes, postnatal depression), lifestyle (smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary habits, physical activity), as well as medical data (maternal obstetric data and medical history, potential pre-, peri- and post-natal complications, information on child’s growth and development, feeding habits, allergies, vaccination, other medical issues etc.) and biological samples (blood samples from the mother and cord blood samples from the newborns) were collected. So far, the results are showing the influence of environmental and biological variables (e.g., maternal age, smoking, parity, lipid profile and fasting blood glucose level) as risk factors for the devepoment of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and adverse pregnancy outcomes in this Croatian birth cohort. Pre-pregnancy BMI has been observed as an indicator of maternal health disorders during pregnancy (deviated biochemical parameters, high blood pressure), as well as an indicator of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The main advantage of the CRIBS birth cohort is the quality of the collected data (including biological samples of mother-child dyads), thus enabling future research of biological and environmental risk factors for the development of MetS and associated complex disorders.

Goal: Mitochondrial haplogroup (hg) X was estimated to originate in the Near East cca 30 ka years ago. Its approximate prevalence in the general European population is 2%, with most sublineages belonging to the X2 clade. The X2 clade is far less common in Croatian insular populations according to our previous findings - 6 out of 13 detected X samples belong to a new, local variant based on specific mutations in both the control and coding region of the mitochondrial genome. The aim of this study was to fully explore mentioned 6 mitochondrial haplotypes found in islands of Rab and Cres. Materials and methods: Complete sequencing of one Rab and one Cres mitochondrial genome was performed using both Sanger sequencing and massively parallel sequencing with the Illumina® Human mtDNA Genome assay on MiSeq FGx™ instrument. Results: Sequenced samples indicate a novel lineage within the global mitochondrial X hg phylogeny according to both PhyloTree and Mitomap. The lineage is connected with the hg X3 by a common polymorphism G3531A in the coding region of the mitochondrial genome, but it lacks all other X3 defining mutations. Mutations specific for this lineage are T195C, C338T, A7518G, G7853A, A10113G, C10673T, C10920T, A11380G, A13614G, C13950T, A15903G, G15927A, T16136C and A16289G. Analysis of non-phylogenetic variants exposed a rare, A7518G mutation in the tRNA gene, which is predicted as possibly pathogenic by MitoTIP. Findings of different heteroplasmic mutation patterns between samples indicate a more distant kinship within the same mitochondrial lineage. Conclusion: Our finding indicates a recent local microdifferentiation process within hg X. Described lineage could possibly be marked as a new, island-specific X twig formed within the Croatian population. The extension of present research, including genealogical and clinical data, is needed to confirm further enrichment of existing mtDNA phylogeny and to establish possible functional manifestations of locally specific variants.

Joint events in Zagreb, Croatia: 4th Interanational Symposium of Adriatic Club for Mucosal Immunology and 2nd Regional Focus in Translational Gastroenterology ; which are going to be held June 30 – July 02, 2022. Organizer of these events are Croatian Society for Mucosal Immunology – Croatian Medical Association (CSMI – CMA) and Croatian Society of Gastroenterology (CSG). The event has been planned as joint Symposia, in order to gather colleagues and friends from the region, and offering the opportunity for all of us to share clinical and scientific results. The organizers have invited internationally renowned faculty and local faculty, in order to address the issue of immunobiology of mucosa and to reveal the impact of big data analysis and artificial intellgence in research, education and clinical practice in gastroenterology.

INTRODUCTION: Nutrition during infancy is a major contributor to growth rate. WHO recommendations to initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, exclusively breastfeed within the first six months and continue breastfeeding up to two years of age are rarely followed. Maternal socioeconomic status (SES) may also play a major role in growth patterns and mediate the association between breastfeeding and infant’s growth. The aim of this study was to identify the patterns of breastfeeding and infants’ growth in weight in Dalmatia, Croatia and investigate their association with maternal SES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from Croatian Island’s Birth Cohort Study (CRIBS) was used. Participants were 83 infant-mother pairs from Dalmatia, Croatia. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS Statistics 25.0. and WHO Anthro software 3.2.2. Differences between groups were tested using Fisher’s exact test and Student’s t-test. The significance and strength of individual associations between WG (0-6 months) and WAZ at 6 months with independent variables were tested conducting simple linear regression (breastfeeding duration) and Spearman’s correlation (EBF, average monthly household income, maternal education, employment and number of household members). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in gender distribution with regards to location, breastfeeding duration, EBF duration and delivery mode. However, a significant difference (p

Goal was to determine the influence of island population isolation on the sub structuring of the Croatian population, and the influence of regional population groups on the sub structuring of Southeast Europe with regards to basic population genetic statistical parameters calculated using STR locus analysis. Bio-statistical analyzes were performed for a total sample of 2877 unrelated participants of both sexes from the area of Southeastern Europe was analyzed. Nine autosomal STR loci (D3S1358, vWA, FGA, TH01, TPOX, CSF1PO, D5S818, D13S317, D7S82) were analyzed using standard F-statistics and population structure analysis (program STRUCTURE). The total coefficient of genetic differentiation of Croatian subpopulations calculated by the FST method is higher at the level of the Croatian population (0.005) than at the level of Southeast Europe (0.002). In the population of Croatia, the subpopulation of the island of Vis shows the most pronounced separation, and in the population of Southeast Europe the population of Albanians from Kosovo, then the populations of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary. The established higher structure of Croatian subpopulations in relation to the populations of Southeast Europe suggests the existence of a certain degree of genetic isolation, most likely due to the influence of endogamy within rural island populations. The total genetic differentiation coefficient of Croatian subpopulations calculated by the FST method is higher at the level of the Croatian population (0.005) than at the level of Southeast Europe (0.002). The established higher structure of Croatian subpopulations in relation to Southeast Europe suggest the existence of a certain degree of genetic isolation, most likely due to the influence of endogamy within rural island populations.

Sudjelovanje na 90. danima dijabetologa predavanjem Antropološka istraživanja djece i trudnica-CRIBS

“unCoVer-Unravelling data for rapid evidence-based response to COVID-19” is a Horizon 2020-funded network of 29 partners from 18 countries. Formed with the aim to collect and use real-world data (RWD) resulting from response and provision of care to COVID-19 patients by health systems across Europe and elsewhere, unCoVer exploits the full potential of this information to rapidly address clinical and epidemiological research questions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. These heterogeneous datasets comprise from information on over 22 000 hospitalized patients, as well as registry data on over 1 900 000 COVID-19 cases across Europe, with continuous updates. So far, the datasets have been described, harmonized and integrated into a multi-user data repository operated through OpalDataSHIELD, an interoperable open-source server application. Federated data analyses, without sharing or disclosing any individual-level data, is being performed to resolve various research questions emerging from dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Institute for Anthropological Research, Zagreb, Croatia, is one of the partners on the unCoVer project, together with our related third-party – Dubrava University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia, providing clinical data on COVID-19 patients. Special emphasis will be given to our specific experience and lessons learned from participating in this project (data acquisition, ethical and GDPR issues, data analyses, influence of restrictions related to COVID-19 pandemic).

Coordinating management aspect with science and research. Reaching for finances through science projects on national and international level.

The goal was to perform a meta-analysis of synthesized data and investigate the influence of specific intrapopulation genetic structures on interpopulation relationships. Special focus was the influence of island population isolation on the substructuring of the Croatian population, and the influence of regional population groups on the substructuring of Southeast Europe. A long-term goal is to develop a model of appropriate sampling of the total population when creating a database of genetic STR markers that would properly reflect all the characteristics of included subpopulations. Autosomal STR loci were analyzed using four forensic parameters (match probability, power of discrimination, power of exclusion and the degree of polymorphism) on a sample of 2877 unrelated participants of both sexes. The analysis was performed using the statistical package PowerStats v1.2. The comparison of forensic parameters between different subpopulations of Croatia and Southeast Europe indicates that the isolation of individual Croatian subpopulations and certain rare alleles in their gene pool affect the values of forensic parameters. Specific features of (sub)populations should be taken into account for appropriate sampling of the total population when creating a DNA database of STR markers.

Introduction: Since its beginning, the COVID-19 pandemic impacts numerous aspects of our everyday lives, including diet. Despite the aforementioned, little is known about the impact of the pandemic on the motives that determine our food choices, especially in regard to COVID-19 infection and vaccination status. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the differences in the food choice motives before and during the COVID-19 pandemic depending on COVID-19 infection and vaccination status in a sample of Croatian adults. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted from 16 June 2021 until 30 June 2021 using an anonymous online questionnaire designed in Google Forms®. Changes in health and non-health food choice motives before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were evaluated using a validated 36-items (9 factors) Western Balkan Countries version of the Steptoe et al.’s Food Choice Questionnaire. Results: The final sample consisted of 890 women and 339 men from Croatia, aged ≥ 18 years. At the time of the data collection, 228 women (25.6%) and 114 men (33.6%) reported having been infected with SARS-CoV-2, while 445 women (50.0%) and 187 men (55.2%) were vaccinated. One-way analysis of variance revealed that mood, convenience and familiarity were significantly more important to men who have reported being infected with SARS- CoV-2, when compared to those not being infected, both before (p = 0.014, p = 0.008, p = 0.009, respectively) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (p = 0.021, p = 0.003, p = 0.013, respectively). Of the nine factors, only price was significantly more important to unvaccinated men, when compared to vaccinated ones, also both before (p = 0.001) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (p = 0.003). No statistically significant differences in food choice motives were found in women depending neither on infection or vaccination status. Conclusion and Implication: According to the results of the present study, statistically significant differences in the importance of certain food choice motives were observed in regard to COVID-19 infection and vaccination status. Knowledge related to non-intentional change of these motives could have practical implications in dealing with future similar pandemics. Keywords: COVID-19, food choice motives, Food Choice Questionnaire, Croatia Acknowledgments: This cross-sectional study formed part of an international project entitled “The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the determinants of food choice in the adult population of Croatia and Belgium (CFC CRO-BE)” conducted by the Centre for Applied Bioanthropology of the Institute for Anthropological Research, Zagreb, Croatia in cooperation with the Psychiatric Hospital Ugljan, Ugljan, Croatia and the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.