Background: Endocrine disrupting air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particle matter (PM2.5), and ozone (O3) can affect thyroid gland function on the level of synthesis, metabolism, and the action of its hormones. Objective: The aim of this study was to establish whether increased air pollution could contribute to an increased incidence of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of the medical records of 82000 patients at the University Clinical Centre in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The target group of this study comprised a total of 174 patients from the Lukavac area. Daily data on concentrations of air pollutants were collected from the air quality monitoring station located in Lukavac. The study covered the period from 2015 to 2020. Results: The results of the monitoring confirmed the presence of air pollutants in concentrations above the permitted limits throughout the entire observed period. Concentrations of PM2.5, SO2, NO2, CO, and O3 were in the range of 1.90–431.40 μg/m3, 3.60-620.50 μg/m3, 3.40-66.20 μg/m3, 48.00-7002.00 μg/m3, and 0.70-89.40 μg/m3, with means of 64.08 μg/m3, 77.48 μg/m3, 22.57 μg/m3, 1657.15 μg/m3, and 31.49 μg/m3, respectively. During the six-year period, 174 cases of AITD were registered, of which 150 (86.21%) were women and 24 (13.79%) men. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis was found in 33 patients (18.97%), whilst 141 patients (81.03%) were diagnosed with atrophic thyroiditis. The highest total incidence of autoimmune thyroiditis was recorded in 2017, when it reached 99.49, 95% CI. Conclusion: The effects of chronic exposure to a mixture of air pollutants on the function of the thyroid gland are still not sufficiently well-known, but the numerical tendency towards a higher incidence of AITD in this study, albeit without statistical significance (p>0.05), still underlines the need for additional research.

Background: Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is one of the countries of Southeast Europe with the lack of data about chronic autoimmune thyroid diseases (CAITD) epidemiology. Objective: This research aimed to assess incidence of CAITD in the Tuzla Canton of B&H during a 6-year period (2015–2020). Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 82,000 hospital records of inpatients and outpatients with possible thyroid symptoms residing in Tuzla Canton of B&H (total of 445,028 inhabitants). The study included patients with laboratory and clinical proof of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). Incidence rates were calculated with age standardisation using European standard population. Trends in incidence were evaluated as moving three-year averages. Results: During the observed period, 1875 patients satisfied the diagnostic criteria for CAITD with male to female ratio of 1: 8.01. Median age of all cases was 46 years (interquartile range: 31 to 61) and women and men were on average the same age at the time of diagnosis. The overall standardized incidence was found to be 71.25 per 105 (%95 CI=63.36–79.15). The overall standardized incidence in men was 16.25 per 105 and 123.74 per 105 in women. In the end of the observed period, AITD prevalence was 427.52 per 105 (% 95 CI=408.17-446.87). Conclusion: There was a slight decline of incidence in our region during the observed period. This decrease might be the result of combination of various factors, mainly the Corona epidemics outbreak and emigration. On the basis of the lower incidence rate in the Tuzla Canton, one can assume that iodine prophylaxis carried out in order to eradicate goitre had satisfied expectations because there had not been any enormous increase in patients with AITD.

In this study, the chemical profiles, antioxidant and antibacterial activity of Helivhrysum italicum essential oils from three plantation fields in Herzegovina were analysed. GC/MS analysis showed that all samples were rich in sesquiterpenes (45.19%-50.07%) and monoterpenes (21.15%-23.21%), followed by oxygenated monoterpenes (9.92%-14.03%). Diketones in the essential oil were detected in quantities ranging 5.72% to 6.67%. The main components in essential oils were γ-curcumene, α-pinene, β-selinene and neril-acetate. All tested essential oils exhibited relatively weak DPPH-scavenging capacity. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was assayed by using the disk diffusion method. E. coli was most resistant against all three tested H. italicum essential oils, while moderate inhibitory activity against S. aureus and C. albicans was detected. The L. monocytogenes was the most sensitive where all three tested samples showed inhibitory activity.

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs), as an alternative to ionic liquids, have greener credentials than ionic liquids and have attracted increasing attention in many applications. Choline chloride-based DESs in combination with different hydrogen bond donors (organic acid, sugars and urea), showed a high extraction efficiency. The aim of this study was to examine the possible effects of choline chloride-based eutectic solvents on the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of lemon and mandarin orange seed extracts. Lactic acid, glucose, urea and water were used to prepare choline chloride-based Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADESs). Ferric-Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) Assay and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) method were used to determine Original Research Article Kolarević et al.; IRJPAC, 21(23): 120-128, 2020; Article no.IRJPAC.63470 121 antioxidant activity. Antibacterial activity was investigated by diffusion method on reference bacterial strains E. coli, E. faecalis, S. aureus, B. subtilis and L. monocytogenes. The analysis revealed a significant reduction potential of the eutectic solvent based on lactic acid as well as significant antioxidant activity of lemon and mandarin seed extracts. In general, mandarin extracts showed better antioxidant capacity. In vitro antibacterial activity assays showed a complete absence of bacterial growth inhibition of the extracts. However, eutectic solvents with lactic acid have shown a significant antimicrobial effect.