University of Zagreb

About: University of Zagreb is a education organization based out in Zagreb, Grad Zagreb, Croatia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & European union. The organization has 21769 authors who have published 50267 publications receiving 783239 citations. The organization is also known as: Zagreb University & Sveučilište u Zagrebu.

Thallium Toxicity in Humans

Abstract: Thallium is a naturally occurring trace element, widely distributed in the earth's crust, but at very low concentrations. It does not have a known biological use and does not appear to be an essential element for life. It has been considered one of the most toxic heavy metals.Occasionally, there are reports on thallium poisoning as results of suicide or murder attempt or accident. The main threat to humans is through occupational exposure, environmental contamination, and accumulation in food, mainly in vegetables grown on contaminated soil. Increasing use in emerging new technologies and demanding high-tech industry constantly raise concern about exposure risk to all living organisms. Thallium is considered a cumulative poison that can cause adverse health effects and degenerative changes in many organs. The effects are the most severe in the nervous system. The exact mechanism of thallium toxicity still remains unknown, although impaired glutathione metabolism, oxidative stress, and disruption of potassium-regulated homeostasis may play a role. The lack of data about mutagenic, carcinogenic, or teratogenic effects of thallium compounds in humans calls for further research.

Brown bear attacks on humans: a worldwide perspective

Abstract: The increasing trend of large carnivore attacks on humans not only raises human safety concerns but may also undermine large carnivore conservation efforts. Although rare, attacks by brown bears Ursus arctos are also on the rise and, although several studies have addressed this issue at local scales, information is lacking on a worldwide scale. Here, we investigated brown bear attacks (n = 664) on humans between 2000 and 2015 across most of the range inhabited by the species: North America (n = 183), Europe (n = 291), and East (n = 190). When the attacks occurred, half of the people were engaged in leisure activities and the main scenario was an encounter with a female with cubs. Attacks have increased significantly over time and were more frequent at high bear and low human population densities. There was no significant difference in the number of attacks between continents or between countries with different hunting practices. Understanding global patterns of bear attacks can help reduce dangerous encounters and, consequently, is crucial for informing wildlife managers and the public about appropriate measures to reduce this kind of conflicts in bear country.

Inflammatory bowel disease associates with proinflammatory potential of the immunoglobulin G glycome.

Abstract: Background: Glycobiology is an underexplored research area in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and glycans are relevant to many etiological mechanisms described in IBD. Alterations in N-glycans attached to the immunoglobulin G (IgG) Fc fragment can affect molecular structure and immunological function. Recent genome-wide association studies reveal pleiotropy between IBD and IgG glycosylation. This study aims to explore IgG glycan changes in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Methods: IgG glycome composition in patients with UC (n ¼ 507), CD (n ¼ 287), and controls (n ¼ 320) was analyzed by ultra performance liquid chromatography. Results: Statistically significant differences in IgG glycome composition between patients with UC or CD, compared with controls, were observed. Both UC and CD were associated with significantly decreased IgG galactosylation (digalactosylation, UC: odds ratio [OR] ¼ 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5–0.9; P ¼ 0.01; CD: OR ¼ 0.41; CI, 0.3–0.6; P ¼ 1.4 · 10 29 ) and significant decrease in the proportion of sialylated structures in CD (OR ¼ 0.46, CI, 0.3–0.6, P ¼ 8.4 · 10 28 ). Logistic regression models incorporating measured IgG glycan traits were able to distinguish UC and CD from controls (UC: P ¼ 2.13 · 10 26 and CD: P ¼ 2.20 · 10 216 ), with receiver–operator characteristic curves demonstrating better performance of the CD model (area under curve [AUC] ¼ 0.77) over the UC model (AUC ¼ 0.72) (P ¼ 0.026). The ratio of the presence to absence of bisecting GlcNAc in monogalactosylated structures was increased in patients with UC undergoing colectomy compared with no colectomy (FDR-adjusted, P ¼ 0.05). Conclusions: The observed differences indicate significantly increased inflammatory potential of IgG in IBD. Changes in IgG glycosylation may contribute to IBD pathogenesis and could alter monoclonal antibody therapeutic efficacy. IgG glycan profiles have translational potential as IBD biomarkers. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2015;0:1–11)