This research work presents a comprehensive overview of four traits related to the head, with the aim of assessing the statistical phenotypic association among them. The traits examined in this study encompass earlobe type, tongue rugosity, cleft chin and tongue rolling. The primary objective was to investigate the potential associations between these traits and understand their interrelationships. The study focused on examining specific traits in a diverse group of 7431 unrelated individuals, where the genders were almost evenly distributed. To facilitate a comprehensive analysis, three distinct groups were created for each characteristic, comprising the total population, as well as male and female subsets. The selection of subjects was carefully done to ensure a fair representation across different geographical regions within Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby accurately reflecting the nation's national and ethnic diversity. The association among these traits was assessed for statistical significance using the Chi-squared test, with Fisher's exact test used as a supplementary method to examine the connection between each pair of observed traits. Additionally, the Chi-squared test was applied to examine gender-based differences in the frequencies of the phenotypic characteristics of the head. Following traits were shown to have a statistically significant association: tongue rugosity - tongue rolling, tongue rugosity – earlobe type, cleft chin – earlobe type, cleft chin – tongue rolling and earlobe type – tongue rolling. Investigation into the variations in the frequencies of observed phenotypic traits of the head, with respect to gender, revealed statistically significant results for every trait examined.

Abstract The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has prompted global health concerns. In response, researchers have been conducting investigations on active compounds in plants that may hold the potential to inhibit the proliferation of the virus. The aim of this study was to simulate and predict structural interactions of selected compounds isolated from 28 endemic plants of Bosnia and Herzegovina against the main protease (Mpro), papain-like protease (PLpro), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), spike glycoprotein and uridylate-specific endoribonuclease (NendoU) of SARS-CoV-2. The majority of compounds, especially hesperidin, showed great binding affinity to the target proteins. The highest affinity for Mpro was observed for genistein and hesperidin, while in terms of structural interactions, both compounds achieved interactions of interest. Hesperidin and luteolin were the compounds with the highest binding affinity for PLpro, but no significant interactions were observed. For RdRp, hesperidin and quercetin showed the highest binding affinity, where both compounds formed interactions of interest. Hesperidin and fisetin were the compounds with the highest binding affinity for spike glycoprotein, and both compounds achieved significant interactions. The highest affinity for NendoU was obtained for hesperidin and isorhamnetin, where both compounds formed interactions of interest. Although these findings appear encouraging, further research is needed, which includes in vitro and in vivo assessments, along with clinical trials, to provide evidence for the potential therapeutic uses of these plants.

Apple accessions, currently maintained within the two main ex situ collections in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), have previously been genotyped using microsatellite markers. The obtained molecular data provided insight into mislabeled accessions and redundancies, as well as the overall genetic structure of the germplasm. The available dataset enabled the creation of a core collection consisting of 52 accessions. The reliability and usefulness of microsatellites has made this low-density marker system a norm in studies on apple germplasm. However, the increased access to medium- and high-density SNP arrays, developed specifically for apples, has opened new avenues of research into apple genetic resources. In this study, 45 apple genotypes consisting of 33 diploid core collection accessions from B&H and 12 international reference cultivars were genotyped using an Axiom® Apple 480 K SNP array in order to examine their genetic relationships, population structure and diversity, as well as to compare the obtained results with those calculated on previously reported SSR profiles. The SNPs displayed a better ability to differentiate apple accessions based on their origin, as well as to cluster them according to their pedigree. Calculating identity by descent revealed 16 pairings with first-degree relationships and uncovered the introgression of ‘Delicious’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ into the core collection.

Essential role in replication and transcription of coronavirus makes the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 a great traget for drug design. The aim of this study was to predict structural interactions of compounds isolated from the Bosnian-Herzegovinian endemic plant Knautia sarajevensis (G. Beck) Szabó against the 3CLpro of SARS-CoV-2 virus. The three-dimensional crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 main protease was retrieved from the RCSB Protein Data Bank and the three-dimensional structures of isolated compounds were obtained from the PubChem database. Active site was predicted using PrankWeb, while the preparation of protease and compounds was performed using AutoDock Tools and OpenBabel. Molecular docking was carried out using AutoDock Vina. Structural interactions are visualised and analyzed using PyMOL, LigPlus and UCSF Chimera. Apigenin, kaempferol, myricetin and quercetin showed the highest binding affinity for SARS-CoV-2 main protease and formed significant hydrogen bonds with the given protein. Results obtained in this study are in accordance with previous studies and showed that these compounds could potentially have antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2. These findings indicate that K. sarajevensis could be potentially utilized as an adjuvant in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019, but further pharmacological studies are required in order to prove the potential medicinal use of the plant.

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. ACD/ChemSketch and ChemDoodle were used for creating the three-dimensional structure of halogenated boroxine. Molecular docking was performed using AutoDock Vina, while the results were visualized using PyMOL. Results obtained in this research are showing evidence that there are interactions between the halogenated boroxine molecule and both previously mentioned proteins (human carbonic anhydrase and human catalase) in their active sites, which led us to the conclusion that the inhibitory function of halogenated boroxine has been confirmed. These findings could be an important step in determining the exact mechanisms of inhibitory activity and will hopefully serve in further research purposes of complex pharmacogenomics studies.

Silene sendtneri Boiss. (Caryophyllaceae) is the Dinaric endemic plant species with white, decorative and scented flowers. Previous studies on this endemic species were based on morphology and effects on seed germination after the treatment with salicylic acid. However, no molecular genetic studies have been conducted on this species so far. This paper presents preliminary results of the usefulness of microsatellite loci created for cosmopolitan species in assessing the genetic diversity of endemic plant species. A total of 100 specimens were collected from 18 localities in the mountain regions of Treskavica, Igman, Bjelašnica and Ozren in Bosnia and Herzegovina. No S. sendtneri individuals were found at the mountain Trebević. We tested cross-amplification success and a polymorphism level for the set of microsatellite markers (Sil01, Sil03, Sil16, Sil31, Sil35) designed for the cosmopolitan species Silene nutans. In 100 analyzed individuals of S. sendtneri, Sil31 and Sil35 did not amplify, Sil01 was monomorphic and the remaining two loci showed a high level of allelic diversity. Our findings suggest that caution should therefore be exercised in selecting microsatellite markers designed for cosmopolitan plant species in the analyses of endemic species of the same genus since different genetic factors affect the amplification success and polymorphism of the given loci. Attention should be given to the number of detected and effective alleles and their ratio, the success of locus amplification concerning the complete set of markers used, and the ratio of polymorphs to the total number of observed loci.