Raspberry fruit pomace, a byproduct of juice production, was studied as a potential source of antioxidant compounds. Target high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of important polyphenolic compounds (gallic, p-coumaric, caffeic, quercitrin, chlorogenic, and ellagic acid) was performed together with analysis of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total anthocyanins content (TAC), and antioxidant capacity (via ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays). The differences in polyphenolic content of Rubus idaeus L. pomace were evaluated following ultrasound-assisted extraction and conventional maceration with different organic solvents. Additionally, the yield of free phenolics was measured in hydrolyzed pomace extracts. The results obtained show that the ultrasound method maximizes the quantity of antioxidant compounds in terms of TPC (27.79 mg/L gallic acid equivalent (GAE)), TFC (8.02 mg/g quercetin equivalent (QE)), TAC (7.13 mg/L cyanidine-3-glucoside equivalent (C3G Eq)), caffeic (19.17 µg/g), chlorogenic (3.56 µg/g), ellagic (105.52 µg/g), and gallic acids (8.75 µg/g), as well as FRAP (1002.72 µmol/L) and DPPH assays (969.71 µmol/mL vitamin C equivalent (vit C Eq); 567.00 µmol/100 g Trolox equivalent (TE)). On the other hand, conventional maceration maximizes the yield of quercetin and p-coumaric acid. In terms of biowaste valorization, raspberry fruit pomace has a promising industrial potential and may prove to be useful in the development of antioxidant dietary supplements.

Since prokaryotes are a crucial group of organisms in the biosphere, the ecosystem function studies are largely based on bacterial communities. Therefore, bacterial community structure analysis should be a part of an integrated weight of evidence approach in pollution assessment. In case of Triad approach, consisting of chemical analyses, bioassays, and community studies in the field, the TTGE bacterial community structure analyses should be placed in the later Triad leg. In comparison to other community studies, based on various biotic indices, the TTGE bacterial community analysis has proven to be very sensitive, reliable and less time consuming.

Effect of vegetation cycle on phytochemical composition of the essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of wild-growing winter savory (Satureja montana L.) from Montenegro was analysed by GC-MS and its antibacterial activity tested at different oil concentrations. A total of 36 and 34 constituents were identified in the hydrodistilled oil obtained from herb before flowering and during flowering stage, with major components: thymol (37,36% and 27,68%), carvacrol (15,47% and 4,40%), γ-terpinene (11,75% and 8.66%) and p-cymene (7,86% and 31, 37%), respectively. The gained results revealed that essential oil of S. montana has rather significant antibacterial activity against chosen bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Also, it was found that vegetation cycle affects the chemical composition and antibacterial activity of savory essential oil. Essential oil gained prior to herb flowering period showed stronger antibacterial activity in comparison with the oil gained during herb flowering

The research encompassed 708 children of both genders, aged 6 to 15. Three hundred and fifty four of the total number had been diagnosed with Asthma bronchiale, whereas the other half of the children were healthy and served as a control group. Their nutritional condition was determined on the basis of the percentile value of their BMI. Recent studies on the level of nutrition and its connection to asthma have shown contradictory results. This paper was aimed at estimating the nutritional level of sick children in relation to healthy ones. The data were analyzed in relation to group, gender and age by means of descriptive methods, univariate (analysis of variance - ANOVA) and multivariate (multivariate analysis of variance - MANOVA), whereas the results were tested by Roy’s test (Pearson contingency coefficient χ, coefficient of multiple correlation R). It was determined that male children more frequently suffer from this disease than female children do. Both healthy and sick children were normally nourished. However, as regards the sick, the number of normally nourished was considerably lower, whereas the number of underweight was considerably higher, as well as those that were overweight. Intergroup differences in the distribution of certain levels of nutrition of male and female children occurred in only two non-sequential age groups, being later in boys than in girls. This uneven distribution is probably a consequence of the joint effects of environment factors, sickness and therapy

A transboundary water quality-monitoring program was conducted in 2007-2009 to investigate the trophic status and nutrient budget of Lake Skadar/Shkodra, which is a large, shallow lake shared by Albania and Montenegro. The parameters included, amongst others, total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), suspended particulate matter, chlorophyll a, phytoplankton, transparency, temperature and oxygen levels. In addition, hydrological data were scrutinized. The results show that inputs from the tributaries amounted to 176 tons of TP and 3 200 tons of TN, with annual area specific loads of 50-70 kg/km2 of TP and 950-1100 kg/km2 of TN. Despite relatively high inputs, data from the lake indicate that it is presently in a mesotrophic condition, probably due to its large volume and low water residence time. It is assumed that water bodies in the Western Balkans are under increased environmental pressure due to the economic and societal development in the region. In our study, interactions with stakeholders revealed that this also applies to Lake Skadar/Shkodra, but at the same time, the stakeholders suggested a number of mitigation options that can improve the situation. In addition, harmonized transboundary monitoring and increased data transparency were deemed important to improve future decision-making.

In this study we evaluated the genotoxic potential of surface sediment extracts of Lake Skadar using a combination of two in vitro tests: the Comet assay on the fibroblast-like permanent cell line RTL-W1, and the Ames test on the strain Salmonella typhimurium TA98. The obtained results show that both tests were successful in determining the genotoxic potential in the sediment organic fractions. They possess enough sensitivity to detect early warning signals and evaluate the genotoxic potential in sediments of the Lake. The genotoxic potential was recorded and compared in the sediment samples from different locations on the Lake Skadar

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