Adna Ašić

Chemical toxicity and radioactivity of depleted uranium: The evidence from in vivo and in vitro studies

The main aim of this review is to summarize and discuss the current state of knowledge on chemical toxicity and radioactivity of depleted uranium (DU) and their effect on living systems and cell lines. This was done by presenting a summary of previous investigations conducted on different mammalian body systems and cell cultures in terms of potential changes caused by either chemical toxicity or radioactivity of DU. In addition, the authors aimed to point out the limitations of those studies and possible future directions. The majority of both in vitro and in vivo studies performed using animal models regarding possible effects caused by acute or chronic DU exposure has been reviewed. Furthermore, exposure time and dose, DU particle solubility, and uranium isotopes as factors affecting the extent of DU effects have been discussed. Special attention has been dedicated to chromosomal aberrations, DNA damage and DNA breaks, as well as micronuclei formation and epigenetic changes, as DU has recently been considered a possible causative factor of all these processes. Therefore, this approach might represent a novel area of study of DU-related irradiation effects on health. Since different studies offer contradictory results, the main aim of this review is to summarize and briefly discuss previously obtained results in order to identify the current opinion on DU toxicity and radioactivity effects in relation to exposure type and duration, as well as DU properties.

Meta-analysis of depleted uranium levels in the Balkan region

In recent years, contradicting data has been published on the connection between the presence of depleted uranium and an increased cancer incidence among military personnel deployed in the Balkans during the 1992-1999 wars. This has led to numerous research articles investigating possible depleted uranium contamination of the afflicted regions of the Balkan Peninsula, namely Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro. The aim of this study was to collect data from previously published reports investigating the levels of depleted uranium in the Balkans and to present the data in the form of a meta-analysis. This would provide a clear image of the extent of depleted uranium contamination after the Balkan conflict. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that there is a correlation between the levels of depleted uranium and the assumed depleted uranium-related health effects. Our results suggest that the majority of the examined sites contain natural uranium, while the area of Kosovo appears to be most heavily afflicted by depleted uranium pollution, followed by Bosnia & Herzegovina. Furthermore, the results indicate that it is not possible to make a valid correlation between the health effects and depleted uranium-contaminated areas. We therefore suggest a structured collaborative plan of action where long-term monitoring of the residents of depleted uranium-afflicted areas would be performed. In conclusion, while the possibility of depleted uranium toxicity in post-conflict regions appears to exist, there currently exists no definitive proof of such effects, due to insufficient studies of potentially afflicted populations, in addition to the lack of a common epidemiological approach in the reviewed literature.

Overview of the Genetic STR Clustering among Worldwide Human Populations

Abstract Although DNA genetic markers, including Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs), are widely used in the analysis of population data, autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) have a wide role in the investigation of human migration patterns throughout the history, genealogical research, and population genetics. In this review, allele frequencies of 13 autosomal STR loci (D3S1358, TH01, D21S11, D18S51, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, D16S539, CSF1PO, vWA, D8S1179, TPOX, and FGA) have been reviewed in 64 different worldwide populations. Allele frequency data for 13 STR loci was collected from previously published scientific papers in the journal databases for each studied population and molecular genetic diversity among the 64 sample populations was compared. Further, a worldwide phylogenetic tree and genetic distance values were created using POPTREE2 software and UPGMA method. Results confirmed that the differences among local sub-populations are much smaller than the differences among geographically separated populations. The obtained results, as the researchers had expected, were in the compliance with previously published papers with the difference that the researchers used data on populations from all over the world and thus created a more detailed phylogenetic tree. In that way, the authors offer an insight into the global phylogenetic tree created on the basis of STR allele frequencies for the first time. The goal of this manuscript is to prove the usefulness of these 13 STR markers within the analysis of the genetic distance and its correlation with “geographically-based genetic clustering” among the worldwide populations.