Publications

Current ideas about HIV prevention include a mixture of primarily biomedical interventions, socio-mechanical interventions such as sterile syringe and condom distribution, and behavioral interventions. This article presents a framework for socially-integrated transdisciplinary HIV prevention that may improve current prevention efforts. It first describes one socially-integrated transdisciplinary intervention project, the Transmission Reduction Intervention Project. We focus on how social aspects of the intervention integrate its component parts across disciplines and processes at different levels of analysis. We then present socially-integrated perspectives about how to improve combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) processes at the population level in order to solve the problems of the treatment cascade and make "treatment as prevention" more effective. Finally, we discuss some remaining problems and issues in such a social transdisciplinary intervention in the hope that other researchers and public health agents will develop additional socially-integrated interventions for HIV and other diseases.

Current ideas about HIV prevention include a mixture of primarily biomedical interventions, socio-mechanical interventions such as sterile syringe and condom distribution, and behavioral interventions. This article presents a framework for socially-integrated transdisciplinary HIV prevention that may improve current prevention efforts. It first describes one socially-integrated transdisciplinary intervention project, the Transmission Reduction Intervention Project. We focus on how social aspects of the intervention integrate its component parts across disciplines and processes at different levels of analysis. We then present socially-integrated perspectives about how to improve combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) processes at the population level in order to solve the problems of the treatment cascade and make "treatment as prevention" more effective. Finally, we discuss some remaining problems and issues in such a social transdisciplinary intervention in the hope that other researchers and public health agents will develop additional socially-integrated interventions for HIV and other diseases.

Lefkada Island is situated off the west coast of the Greek mainland and belongs to the complexof the Ionian Islands, one of the most seismically prone areas within the SE Mediterranean region,dominated by the right lateral Cephalonia Transform Fault Zone. As it is reported from historical andinstrumental catalogues the study area has suffered numerous devastating local earthquakes withM>6.0. The most recent strong earthquake occurred on 14 August 2003, having M=6.2, at a distanceof only 10 km from the town of Lefkas where a peak ground acceleration of 0.42g was recorded, beingone of the largest observed in Greece during the last decades. Although the earthquake producedlimited damage to the building stock, it likely induced damages of geotechnical character, associatedwith extensive liquefaction mainly in the waterfront of the town. Coseismic failure observationsprovided an expansive database which tempted us and triggered a multitasking project toward lossassessment in the Lefkada Old Town (LOT), comprising traditional construction practices ofarchitectural significance and high seismic behaviour as a rule.The project employs several modules which were performed successively during the last years:(A) Macroscopic analysis of the buildings stock in LOT by conducting a comprehensive in-situinventory of the buildings; (B) Vulnerability classification of the building stock using EMS98; (C)Ground Motion Parameters (GMP) determination for regional hazard assessment; (D) Site effectsresulting from a detailed ambient noise study conducted in LOT; (E) Analysis of availablegeotechnical information and in-situ measurements of the local soil properties; (F) Employment ofdamage distributions during the recent 2003 earthquake; (G) Development of an ARC-GIS platform toinclude and allow the process of the massive data collected.In this paper we present a first attempt to synthesize the above modules in order to investigatesoil-structure interactions in LOT, assuming a linear response for both. By using various seismicsources whose characteristics are inferred by the active tectonics and the probabilistic hazardassessment of the study area, strong ground motion has been simulated both stochastically anddeterministically for hard bedrock conditions. GMPs were constrained beneath the foundations of thebuildings by convolving the simulated ground motion with the soil transfer functions deduced frommicrotremors. According to this, for each scenario a damage potential has been assigned at eachbuilding. The obtained patterns were proven to be fairly comparable with the damage distribution dueto the 2003 event, hence constituting a provocative motivation for further investigation and otherapplications.

Lefkada Island is situated off the west coast of the Greek mainland and belongs to the complex of the Ionian Islands, one of the most seismically prone areas within the SE Mediterranean region, dominated by the right lateral Cephalonia Transform Fault Zone. As it is reported from historical and instrumental catalogues the study area has suffered numerous devastating local earthquakes with M>6.0. The most recent strong earthquake occurred on 14 August 2003, having M=6.2, at a distanceof only 10 km from the town of Lefkas where a peak ground acceleration of 0.42g was recorded, being one of the largest observed in Greece during the last decades. Although the earthquake producedlimited damage to the building stock, it likely induced damages of geotechnical character, associated with extensive liquefaction mainly in the waterfront of the town. Coseismic failure observationsprovided an expansive database which tempted us and triggered a multitasking project toward loss assessment in the Lefkada Old Town (LOT), comprising traditional construction practices of architectural significance and high seismic behaviour as a rule. The project employs several modules which were performed successively during the last years: (A) Macroscopic analysis of the buildings stock in LOT by conducting a comprehensive in-situ inventory of the buildings; (B) Vulnerability classification of the building stock using EMS98; (C)Ground Motion Parameters (GMP) determination for regional hazard assessment; (D) Site effects resulting from a detailed ambient noise study conducted in LOT; (E) Analysis of available geotechnical information and in-situ measurements of the local soil properties; (F) Employment of damage distributions during the recent 2003 earthquake; (G) Development of an ARC-GIS platform to include and allow the process of the massive data collected. In this paper we present a first attempt to synthesize the above modules in order to investigatesoil-structure interactions in LOT, assuming a linear response for both. By using various seismic sources whose characteristics are inferred by the active tectonics and the probabilistic hazard assessment of the study area, strong ground motion has been simulated both stochastically anddeterministically for hard bedrock conditions. GMPs were constrained beneath the foundations of the buildings by convolving the simulated ground motion with the soil transfer functions deduced frommicrotremors. According to this, for each scenario a damage potential has been assigned at each building. The obtained patterns were proven to be fairly comparable with the damage distribution due to the 2003 event, hence constituting a provocative motivation for further  investigation and other applications.

In this issue of Blood, 2 studies, one by Paiva et al (for the Spanish Myeloma Study group) and one by Hill et al (for the Leeds group [UK]), showed independently that flow cytometry of the bone marrow could identify patients with solitary plasmacytomas (SPs) at high risk for progression to active multiple myeloma (MM).1,2 In the fi rst study, 71% of patients with solitary bone plasmacytoma (SBP) who had positive fl ow cytometry for bone marrow phenotypically aberrant clonal plasma cells progressed to MM at a median time of 26 months, whereas only 6% of patients with negative fl ow cytometry progressed to myeloma (panel A). The respective values for solitary soft tissue plasmacytomas, outside of the bone, were 20% vs 6%, respectively.1 In the second study, the results were similar: 72% of patients with SBP and occult bone marrow disease detected by flow cytometry vs 12.5% without clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow also progressed to MM at a median time of 26 months (panel B).2 These findings are of great importance because multiparameter flow cytometry may be included in the initial work-up of a patient with a suspected SP. © 2014 by The American Society of Hematology.

Highly efficient and stable organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells are demonstrated by incorporating solution-processed hydrogen molybdenum bronzes as anode interlayers. The bronzes are synthesized using a sol-gel method with the critical step being the partial oxide reduction/hydrogenation using an alcohol-based solvent. Their composition, stoichiometry, and electronic properties strongly correlate with the annealing process to which the films are subjected after spin coating. Hydrogen molybdenum bronzes with moderate degree of reduction are found to be highly advantageous when used as anode interlayers in OPVs, as they maintain a high work function similar to the fully stoichiometric metal oxide, whereas they exhibit a high density of occupied gap states, which are beneficial for charge transport. Enhanced short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage and, fill factor, relative to reference devices incorporating either PEDOT-PSS or a solution processed stoichiometric molybdenum oxide, are obtained for a variety of bulk heterojunction mixtures based on different polymeric donors and fullerene acceptors. In particular, high power conversion efficiencies are obtained in devices that employed the s-H xMoO2.75 as the hole extraction layer. The incorporation of solution-processed hydrogen molybdenum bronzes as anode interlayers in organic photovoltaic cells is presented. High power conversion efficiencies are observed in devices based on polymeric donors and fullerene acceptors that include a bronze with a moderate degree of reduction, namely the s-H xMoO2.75, as the anode interlayer. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

We study the bulk acceleration in relativistic axisymmetric magnetized outflows, by solving the momentum equation along the flow, the so-called wind equation. The solutions for the bulk Lorentz factor depend on the geometry of the field/streamlines through the "bunching function" S. We investigate the general characteristics of the S function and how its choice affects the acceleration. In our study, various fast rise and slow decay examples are selected for S, with a global maximum near the fast magnetosonic critical point, as required from the regularity condition. For each case we determine the terminal Lorentz factor γ∞ and the acceleration efficiency γ∞/μ, where μ is the total energy-to-mass flux ratio (which equals the maximum possible Lorentz factor of the outflow). With proper choices of S we can achieve efficiencies greater than 50%. Last, we examine the shape of the field/streamlines with respect to the choice of the S function. The results of this work, depending on the choices of μ, can be applied to relativistic GRB or AGN jets.

Major processes contributing to subtleties of ephemeral flowers of Asphodelus ramosus are related to chemical constituents detected in tepals which expand during cold and wet seasons in the eastern Mediterranean. Luteolin, caffeic acid, chlorogenic, and p-hydroxy-benzoic acids are the main constituents, whereas alkanes, ketones, and fatty acids appear in low amounts.

The association of plants with moral principles of individuals is presented in a miscellaneous, Medieval Greek manuscript. Botanical traits of 14 plants grown in Mediterranean landscapes have been used to express and awaken morals in the Middle Ages. Nowadays, plants symbolically linked to virtues represent a global resource for research.

In foreign language contexts, course books assume a considerable amount of responsibility for the structuring of class time, classroom interaction, and language learning. In this paper, we evaluate EFL course book materials by considering their structure and effectiveness through survey questionnaires administered to teachers working in Greek state primary schools (4th and 5th grades) and via in-depth interviews with the book authors. Our research has shown that materials production can be a predominantly top–down process, in which policy makers, materials authors and teachers can draw independent pathways to developing and implementing the final product, i.e. the course book. The findings of the study have implications for teaching, teacher training, materials design and policy making in contexts where learners use course books for foreign language learning.

The paper discusses the challenges and opportunities that the English as a lingua franca (ELF) paradigm raises for ESOL teacher education. I argue that one of the prominent implications of the ELF paradigm for ESOL teachers is the need to review and ultimately change their convictions about key aspects of foreign language teaching, such as normativity, the role of native/non-native speakers, and the function of teacher feedback in the foreign language classroom. I review evidence from the ELF literature that supports such a perspective and discuss the kind of reflective reviewing that teachers need to engage in. I argue that, while the critical approach is certainly the right way to go, it is not enough. What is necessary is a more rigorous approach that would go beyond merely exposing teachers to the principles and criteria of ELF and prompt them to critically consider and ultimately transform their deeper convictions about these issues. I present a framework for such a transformative perspective that aims at educating the ELF-aware teacher.

Η δημοσίευση, είναι η ανακοίνωση που εκφωνήθηκε το Μάιο του 2011 στο Columbia College στο Σικάγο στο “International Chicago Theatre Symposium: Chicago theatre capital of America: Past, Present, Future” . Το κείμενο πραγματεύεται τη γέννηση του πρώτου ερασιτεχνικού και εν συνεχεία του πρώτου επαγγελματικού θιάσου που δημιουργήθηκε στις Η.Π.Α., και συγκεκριμένα στο Σικάγο. Ήδη από το 1895 οι πρώτες ελληνικές οργανώσεις στους κόλπους της ορθόδοξης εκκλησίας ιδρύουν ερασιτεχνικούς θιάσους, οι οποίοι συνήθως παρουσιάζουν πατριωτικά, εθνικά δράματα κατά την επέτειο της 25ης Μαρτίου. Παράλληλα η Mabel Hay Barrows, κόρη φιλέλληνα εύπορου Αμερικανού, στα τέλη του 19ου αι. με την σύμπραξη των Ελλήνων μεταναστών σύστησε επαγγελματικό θίασο αρχαίου δράματος. Η Barrows περιπλανώμενη στις ελληνικές γειτονιές στο Σικάγο εντόπισε τα μέλη του θιάσου της, τα οποία εκπαίδευσε σχολαστικά ώστε το αποτέλεσμα της δουλειάς της να γνωρίσει κοινή αποδοχή όχι μόνο από το ελληνικό αλλά και από το αμερικανικό κοινό. Η συστηματική δράση και η επιτυχία της Barrows είχε ως αποτέλεσμα τη διάδοση και την καθιέρωση του ελληνικού θεάτρου σε όλες τις Πολιτείες των Η.Π.Α.

Στα τέλη του 19ου οι παραστάσεις του αρχαίου δράματος ήταν καθιερωμένες στα αμερικανικά πανεπιστήμια. Οι καθηγητές κλασικών σπουδών αναλάμβαναν τη διδασκαλία των δραματικών κειμένων από το πρωτότυπο και επιχειρούσαν τη σκηνική αναβίωσή τους, μελετώντας παράλληλα τις αρχαιολογικές πηγές ώστε το σκηνοθετικό, σκηνογραφικό και ενδυματολογικό αποτέλεσμα να αποτυπώνει όσο το δυνατόν πιστότερα το θέατρο της αρχαιότητας. Εξέχουσα μορφή στο χώρο αυτό υπήρξε η Αμερικανίδα σκηνοθέτης Mabel Hay Barrows.  Το 1899 αφού διασκεύασε σε θεατρικό έργο την «Οδύσσεια», περιπλανήθηκε στους δρόμους του Σικάγο αναζητώντας τους ηθοποιούς της στις γειτονιές των Ελλήνων μεταναστών και δημιούργησε  ελληνικό θεατρικό όμιλο. Η θεατρική της δραστηριότητα έδωσε το έναυσμα σε εκατοντάδες Έλληνες μετανάστες να συστήσουν ερασιτεχνικούς θιάσους και σε άλλες αμερικανικές πολιτείες.  Το άρθρο στηρίζεται σε πρωτότυπο υλικό από το πλούσιο αρχείο της Barrows στη Βιβλιοθήκη του Παν. Harvard και παρουσιάσει το σύνολο του έργου της και της προσφορά της.

In the person of Boccaccio the humanism of Florence found its major representative. In 1358 he completed his great work, The Decameron, begun some ten years earlier. Considered the prelude to the new spirit that was to be manifested by the Renaissance, it was written in the spirit of a human-centred era. In the tales of The Decameron, based on events occurring during the plague at Florence of 1348, Boccaccio provides a detailed outline of how medical events were viewed at a time of transition from the Middle Ages to the new age of change. The Decameron opens with a description of the Bubonic Plague (Black Death). Boccaccio knows that it started in the East, and attributes it either to the influence of heavenly bodies or to God's anger over the wicked deeds of men. But the symptoms of the plague are not like those in the East, where he has heard that a sudden gush of blood from the nose is a sure sign of impending death. Instead, there are swellings, the buboes, in the groin and under the armpit, growing to the size of a small apple or an egg, then large purple or black spots on other parts of the body, and death soon afterwards. This leads to the story of a group of seven young women and three young men who fled from plague-ridden Florence to a villa outside the city walls. To pass the time, they organized themselves so that each person at night has to amuse the others by telling a story. The stories, told over ten days, contain dramatic and or humorous, elements, and many refer in one way or another to the way illness was conceived and managed in those times.

This work is part of a multi-parametric research towards representation of damage scenarios in theLefkada old town. The study area lies in the most seismically active zone of the Greek territory. Mostof its buildings were built with local practices and have been designated by the European CouncilCultural Heritage Unit as representative earthquake resistant constructions. The August 14th, 2003(Mw=6.2) local earthquake produced several damage in the old town of Lefkada, with aninhomogeneous spatial distribution. In this paper we investigate the correlation of the observeddamage pattern with soil characteristics using data collected during an ambient noise survey conductedin 2007. Those were analyzed following Nakamura's HVSR methodology and soil response wasapproximated by the dominant frequencies and quasi-amplification factors of the resulted HVSRcurves. The latter were further inverted using a Monte-Carlo approach and best-fitting site specificgeotechnical models were determined. The obtained results are reasonably consistent with boreholetest data and show a remarkably good correlation with the 2003 damage distribution.

A growing body of evidence suggests that adiponectin presents anti-neoplastic effects via two mechanisms. First, adiponectin can act directly on tumor cells by enhancing receptor-mediated signaling pathways. Secondly, adiponectin may act indirectly by regulating inflammatory responses, influencing cancer angiogenesis and regulating insulin sensitivity at the target tissue site

What’s in a dialogic construction? A constructional approach to polysemy and the grammar of challenge   Abstract: In this paper we address lexical polysemy in a constructional perspective, arguing that each of the conversational meanings we identify for Modern Greek ela (2nd person singular imperative of the verb erxome ‘come’) is appropriately modeled as a conceptual gestalt of formal (including prosodic) and semantic-pragmatic properties. In turn-initial position, ela is used to challenge a preceding utterance; we show that the variations in the kind of challenge expressed are systematically tied to the word that follows ela, the speech act force and the sentence type of the preceding utterance, and finally prosodic and textual cues. To the extent that these varieties of conversational challenge are conditioned by particular contextual features, we treat them as a family of related constructions whose common features can be captured in the form of a generalized ela construction abstracted from the different sub-patterns. Our analysis thus demonstrates the appropriateness of a constructional framework for dealing with the different kinds of parameters involved in dialogic meaning and strongly suggests that at least some of the variation inherent in discourse is amenable to a grammatical description, so that sentence-level and supra-clause patterns can be analyzed in a uniform way.   Keywords: (dialogic) constructions, Construction Grammar, polysemy, (speech act                     of) challenge, exclamations, particles, Modern Greek, discourse   

Lightning is a natural phenomenon in the atmosphere, being a major cause of storm related deaths, main trigger of forest fires and affects many electrochemical systems of the body. Significant scientific interest has come up in the last decades, as numerous lightning detection networks have been established in operational basis, providing lightning data to assess and mitigate lightning impact to the local society by spatio-temporal analysis.In this study, a preliminary analysis of spatial and temporal variabilities of recorded lightnings over Greece during the period from January 2008 to December 2009 is presented. The data for retrieving the location and time-of-occurrence (TOA) of lightning were acquired from the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS). An operational precision lightning network (PLN) has been established since 2007 by HNMS, consisting of eight time-of-arrival (TOA) sensors, spatially distributed across Greek territory.The spatial variability of lightnings revealed their incidence within specific geographical sub-regions while the temporal variability concerns the seasonal and monthly distributions. All the analyses were carried out with respect to cloud to cloud (CC), cloud to ground (CG) and ground to cloud (GC) lightnings, within the examined time period. During the autumn season, lightning activity was the highest, followed by summer and spring. Higher frequencies of stokes appear over Ionian Sea and Aegean Sea than over land during winter period against continental mountainous regions during summer period. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Aims: We observed RX J0520.5-6932 in the X-rays and studied the optical light curve of its counterpart to verify it as a Be/X-ray binary. Methods: We performed an XMM-Newton anticipated target-of-opportunity observation in January 2013 during an X-ray outburst of the source in order to search for pulsations and derive its spectral properties. We monitored the source with Swift to follow the evolution of the outburst and to look for further outbursts to verify the regular pattern seen in the optical light curve with a period of ~24.4 d. Results: The XMM-Newton EPIC light curves show coherent X-ray pulsations with a period of 8.035331(15) s (1σ). The X-ray spectrum can be modelled by an absorbed power law with photon index of ~0.8, an additional black-body component with temperature of ~0.25 keV, and an Fe K line. Phase-resolved X-ray spectroscopy reveals that the spectrum varies with pulse phase. We confirm the identification of the optical counterpart within the error circle of XMM-Newton at an angular distance of ~0.8'', which is an O9Ve star with known Hα emission. By analysing the combined data from three OGLE phases we derived an optical period of 24.43 d. Conclusions: The X-ray pulsations and long-term variability, as well as the properties of the optical counterpart, confirm that RX J0520.5-6932 is a Be/X-ray binary pulsar in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Based on the X-ray monitoring of the source, we conclude that the event in January 2013 was a moderately bright type-I X-ray outburst, with a peak luminosity of 1.79 × 1036 erg s-1. Based on observations with XMM-Newton, an ESA Science Mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member states and the USA (NASA); with Swift, a NASA mission with international participation.

We present new optical spectroscopy of 20 candidate counterparts of 17 X-ray sources in the direction of the M31 disc. By comparing the X-ray catalogue from the XMM-Newton survey of M31 with star catalogues from the Local Group Galaxy Survey, we chose counterpart candidates based on optical colour and X-ray hardness. We have discovered 17 counterpart candidates with spectra containing stellar features. Eight of these are early-type stars of O or B type in M31, with hard X-ray spectra, making them good high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) candidates. Three of these eight exhibit emission lines, which we consider to be the strongest HMXB candidates. In addition, our spectra reveal two likely Galactic cataclysmic variables, one foreground M star, two probable low-mass X-ray binaries related to M31 globular clusters, one emission-line region with an embedded Wolf-Rayet star and one newly discovered supernova remnant. Finally, two of the sources have stellar spectra with no features indicative of association with an X-ray source.

We present new optical spectroscopy of 20 candidate counterparts of 17 X-ray sources in the direction of the M31 disc. By comparing the X-ray catalogue from the XMM-Newton survey of M31 with star catalogues from the Local Group Galaxy Survey, we chose counterpart candidates based on optical colour and X-ray hardness. We have discovered 17 counterpart candidates with spectra containing stellar features. Eight of these are early-type stars of O or B type in M31, with hard X-ray spectra, making them good high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) candidates. Three of these eight exhibit emission lines, which we consider to be the strongest HMXB candidates. In addition, our spectra reveal two likely Galactic cataclysmic variables, one foreground M star, two probable low-mass X-ray binaries related to M31 globular clusters, one emission-line region with an embedded Wolf-Rayet star and one newly discovered supernova remnant. Finally, two of the sources have stellar spectra with no features indicative of association with an X-ray source.

The spin relaxation induced by the Elliott-Yafet mechanism and the extrinsic spin Hall conductivity due to the skew scattering are investigated in 5d transition-metal ultrathin films with self-adatom impurities as scatterers. The values of the Elliott-Yafet parameter and of the spin-flip relaxation rate reveal a correlation with each other that is in agreement with the Elliott approximation. At 10-layer thickness, the spin-flip relaxation time in 5d transition-metal films is quantitatively reported about few hundred nanoseconds at atomic percent. This time scale is one and two orders of magnitude shorter than the values in Au and Cu thin films, respectively. The anisotropy effect of the Elliott-Yafet parameter and of the spin-flip relaxation rate with respect to the direction of the spin-quantization axis in relation to the crystallographic axes is also analyzed. We find that the anisotropy of the spin-flip relaxation rate is enhanced due to the Rashba surface states on the Fermi surface, reaching values as high as 97% in 10-layer Hf(0001) film or 71% in 10-layer W(110) film. Finally, the spin Hall conductivity as well as the spin Hall angle due to the skew scattering off self-adatom impurities are calculated using the Boltzmann approach. Our calculations employ a relativistic version of the first-principles full-potential Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green function method.

The fundamental aspects of spin-dependent transport processes and their interplay with temperature gradients, as given by the spin Seebeck coefficient, are still largely unexplored and a multitude of contributing factors must be considered. We used density functional theory together with a Monte-Carlo-based statistical method to simulate simple nanostructures, such as Co nanowires and films embedded in a Cu host or in vacuum, and investigated the influence of spin disorder scattering on electron transport at elevated temperatures. While we show that the spin-dependent scattering of electrons due to temperature-induced disorder of the local magnetic moments contributes significantly to the resistance, thermoelectric, and spin-caloric transport coefficients, we also conclude that the actual magnitude of these effects cannot be predicted, quantitatively or qualitatively, without such detailed calculations.

BACKGROUND: Although asthma is characterized by variable airways obstruction, most studies of asthma phenotypes are cross-sectional. The stability of phenotypes defined either by biomarkers or by physiological variables was assessed by repeated measures over 1 year in the Pan-European BIOAIR cohort of adult asthmatics. METHODS: A total of 169 patients, 93 with severe asthma (SA) and 76 with mild-to-moderate asthma (MA), were examined at six or more visits during 1 year. Asthma phenotype clusters were defined by physiological variables (lung function, reversibility and age of onset of the disease) or by biomarkers (eosinophils and neutrophils in induced sputum). RESULTS: After 1 year of follow-up, the allocation to clusters was changed in 23.6% of all asthma patients when defined by physiological phenotypes and, remarkably, in 42.3% of the patients when stratified according to sputum cellularity (P = 0.034). In the SA cohort, 30% and 48.6% of the patients changed allocation according to physiological and biomarker clustering, respectively. Variability of phenotypes was not influenced by change in oral or inhaled corticosteroid dose, nor by the number of exacerbations. Lower stability of single and repeated measure was found for all evaluated biomarkers (eosinophils, neutrophils and FeNO) in contrast to good stability of physiological variables (FEV1 ), quality of life and asthma control. CONCLUSION: Phenotypes determined by biomarkers are less stable than those defined by physiological variables, especially in severe asthmatics. The data also imply that definition of asthma phenotypes is improved by repeated measures to account for fluctuations in lung function, biomarkers and asthma control.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a heterogeneous disease that, over the past 15 years, has seen an increased understanding of its biology and of novel therapeutic options. Distinctive subtypes of the disease have been described, each with different outcomes and clinic-pathological features. Even though a detailed classification of MM into at least seven or eight major subtypes is possible, a more practical clinical approach can classify the disease into high-risk and non-high-risk MM. Such classification has permitted a more personalized approach to the management of the disease. Additionally, risk stratification should be included in outcome discussions with patients, as survival differs significantly by high-risk status. Nowadays, test for risk stratification are widely available and can be routinely used in the clinic. A greater understanding of the genetic abnormalities underlying the biology of MM will allow for the development of novel targeted therapies and better prognostic markers of the disease. © Informa UK, Ltd.

Joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS) is a heritable disorder of the connective tissue characterized by excessive joint movement, musculoskeletal pain and neurophysiological deficits (i.e. decreased proprioceptive acuity, altered neuromuscular reflexes). Such deficits may affect body balance thus increasing the risk of injury. The present study aimed at examining static and dynamic body balance following challenge of the visual and vestibular systems in individuals with JHS. The sample consisted of 21 females with JHS and 20 controls without signs of JHS. Static body balance was assessed by the degree of anteroposterior and mediolateral deviation of the center of pressure, during 20-sec single-leg stances with eyes opened (EO), eyes closed (EC) and eyes opened with head extension (EO-HE) using a foot pressure platform. Dynamic body balance was assessed by the number of landing and balance errors committed during a multiple single-leg-hop-stabilization test. Nonparametric analysis showed that the JHS-group demonstrated significantly greater (a) mediolateral deviation during single-leg-stance with EO (p < 0.01), (b) mediolateral and anteroposterior deviation during single-leg-stance with EO-HE (p < 0.05), and (c) number of landing errors (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. Poor static balance following challenge of the vestibular system may be justified by vestibular deficiency and/or insufficient proprioceptive capabilities of the neck. Impairments of dynamic balance in individuals with JHS may be attributed to proprioceptive deficits, which can alter feedforward and feedback mechanisms.

ObjectivesTwo-stage clinical designs are currently recommended by the regulatory authorities for the assessment of bioequivalence (BE). A specific statistical methodology was recently proposed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The aims of this article are to elaborate on the suggested statistical design from the EMA and to compare it with the existing statistical methods reported in the literature. MethodsMonte Carlo simulations were used to simulate the conditions of a two-stage BE design. The starting sample size was either 24 or 48, whereas the coefficient of variation of the within-subject variability was equal to 20% and 40%. Several geometric mean ratio levels of the BE metric were considered. Under each condition, 1000000 studies were simulated. Key findingsThe overall performance, in terms of percentage of BE acceptance, is identical. The additional term, sequencexstage', suggested in the EMA method is in most cases nonsignificant. The same results were obtained regardless of the type (fixed or random) of the effect applied to the subjects' term. ConclusionsAny BE study either finished or in progress which relies on the existing literature methodology leads to the same percentage of BE acceptance as if it was analysed with the recently proposed EMA method.

We consider a transportation station, where customers arrive according to a Poisson process. A transportation facility visits the station according to a renewal process and serves at each visit a random number of customers according to its capacity. We assume that the arriving customers decide whether to join the station or balk, based on a natural reward-cost structure. We study the strategic behavior of the customers and determine their symmetric Nash equilibrium strategies under two levels of information.

Given that platelet activating factor (PAF) is a crucial inflammatory phospholipid mediator that is implicated in the mechanism of atherogenesis, the presence of PAF inhibitors in food reinforces their nutritional value in terms of protection against cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-atherogenic (anti-inflammatory) properties of two different types of Greek cheese: Kefalotyri and Ladotyri. Total lipids (TL) of both types of cheese samples were extracted by the method of Bligh and Dyer and separated into total polar lipids (TPL) and total neutral lipids (TNL) by countercurrent distribution. TPL were further separated by preparative thin-layer chromatography (TLC). TL, TPL, TNL and the obtained polar lipid fractions after TLC separation were tested to determine their biological activity towards atherosclerosis based on the in vitro inhibition of PAF-induced platelet aggregation. Both types of cheese samples exhibited strong biological activity, and their lipids were potent PAF inhibitors. Comparing the two types of cheese samples, Ladotyri cheese polar lipid fractions were found to exhibit stronger inhibitory properties than those of Kefalotyri cheese. The fact that both types of cheese were found to contain PAF inhibitors highlights their nutritional value in terms of cardio-protection.

• |
• Export
• | Download
• | More...

Journal of Food Science Volume 79, Issue 5, May 2014, Pages R765-R780 The Bioaccumulation and Physiological Effects of Heavy Metals in Carrots, Onions, and Potatoes and Dietary Implications for Cr and Ni: A Review  (Article) Stasinos, S., Nasopoulou, C., Tsikrika, C., Zabetakis, I.  Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry, Univ. of Athens, Athens, Greece View references (69) Abstract The bioaccumulation of heavy metals in food tubers (carrots, onions, and potatoes) as a result of polluted irrigation water has been studied in this review paper. Given that heavy metals can cause a considerable oxidative stress, the impact of these metals to the physiology of the plants has also been assessed. The consumption of vegetables cross-contaminated with heavy metals carries a considerable risk for humans (especially for children and pregnant women) and these dietary implications are discussed while European Food Safety Authority has been urged to look into this matter of concern.

The purpose of this study was to structurally characterise the polar lipids of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), fed with an experimental diet containing olive pomace (OP), that exhibit cardioprotective activities. OP has been added to conventional fish oil (FO) feed at 4% and this was the OP diet, having been supplemented as finishing diet to fish. Sea bass was aquacultured using either FO or OP diet. At the end of the dietary experiment, lipids in both samples of fish muscle were quantified and HPLC fractionated. The in vitro cardioprotective properties of the polar lipid fractions, using washed rabbit’s platelets, have been assessed and the two most biologically active fractions were further analysed by mass spectrometry. The gas-chromatrograpy–mass spectrometric data shows that these two fractions contain low levels of myristic (14:0), oleic (18:1 cis ω-9) and linoleic acids (18:2 ω-6), but high levels of palmitic (16:0) and stearic acids (18:0) as well as eicosadienoic acid (20:2 ω-6). The first fraction (MS1) also contained significant levels of arachidonic acid (20:4 ω-6) and the omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (22:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6). Electrospray-mass spectrometry elucidated that the lipid composition of the two fractions contained various diacyl-glycerophospholipids species, where the majority of them have either 18:0 or 18:1 fatty acids in the sn-1 position and either 22:6 or 20:2 fatty acids in the sn-2 position for MS1 and MS2, respectively. Our research focuses on the structure/function relationship of fish muscle polar lipids and cardiovascular diseases and structural data are given for polar lipid HPLC fractions with strong cardioprotective properties.

The spectrin superfamily of proteins plays key roles in assembling the actin cytoskeleton in various cell types, crosslinks actin filaments, and acts as scaffolds for the assembly of large protein complexes involved in structural integrity and mechanosensation, as well as cell signaling. alpha-actinins in particular are the major actin crosslinkers in muscle Z-disks, focal adhesions, and actin stress fibers. We report a complete high-resolution structure of the 200 kDa alpha-actinin-2 dimer from striated muscle and explore its functional implications on the biochemical and cellular level. The structure provides insight into the phosphoinositide-based mechanism controlling its interaction with sarcomeric proteins such as titin, lays a foundation for studying the impact of pathogenic mutations at molecular resolution, and is likely to be broadly relevant for the regulation of spectrin-like proteins.

In ferromagnetic/superconducting (FM/SC) planar hybrids, a reentrance of the upper-critical field line H-c2(T) is observed close to T-c. The effect is generally ascribed to the so-called domain-wall superconductivity and has been theoretically explored in great detail. Experimental investigations are limited mostly to FM/SC bilayers in which the FM layers host out-of-plane magnetic domains of strong anisotropy and large width (>300 nm), the SC layer is quite thick (>30 nm), and the external magnetic field was applied normal. To expand our knowledge to until now unexplored conditions, we study a series of Co(d(Co))/Nb(d(Nb))/Co(d(Co)) trilayers under a parallel magnetic field; Co outer layers exhibit out-of-plane magnetic domains of weak anisotropy and small width (<150 nm) and the Nb interlayer is very thin (<20 nm). We demonstrate a strong reentrance of H-c2(T) that can be tuned through the irreversible magnetization processes of the FM outer layers, the two-dimensional character of the SC interlayer, and the matching between the interfering SC and FM length scales. These results refine the nature of the reentrance of H-c2(T) in FM/SC hybrids and can motivate new theoretical and experimental investigations. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

A series of observations performed with Swift/XRT (Target ID 33042) in the SMC detected a variable X-ray source within the field of view. The source appeared in observations performed on and after 2014 Jan 06, while it remained undetected in the period 2013 Dec 13 - 24. The XRT J2000 position is RA = 01:07:45.00, DEC = -72:27:40.9, (90% error radius of 4.0"). This position matches [MCS2008] 206, detected with Chandra on 2006 Feb 10.

We report an outburst of Swift J0513.4-6547, a 27.28 s pulsar Be/X-ray binary in the Large Magellanic Cloud, which was discovered by Krimm et al. (2009, ATel #2011) and has an orbital period of 27 d (ATel #5511).

Extracellular matrix (ECM) components form a dynamic network of key importance for cell function and properties. Key macromolecules in this interplay are syndecans (SDCs), a family of transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs). Specifically, heparan sulfate (HS) chains with their different sulfation pattern have the ability to interact with growth factors and their receptors in tumor microenvironment, promoting the activation of different signaling cascades that regulate tumor cell behavior. The affinity of HS chains with ligands is altered during malignant conditions because of the modification of chain sequence/sulfation pattern. Furthermore, matrix degradation enzymes derived from the tumor itself or the tumor microenvironment, like heparanase and matrix metalloproteinases, ADAM as well as ADAMTS are involved in the cleavage of SDCs ectodomain at the HS and protein core level, respectively. Such released soluble SDCs "shed SDCs" in the ECM interact in an autocrine or paracrine manner with the tumor or/and stromal cells. Shed SDCs, upon binding to several matrix effectors, such as growth factors, chemokines, and cytokines, have the ability to act as competitive inhibitors for membrane proteoglycans, and modulate the inflammatory microenvironment of cancer cells. It is notable that SDCs and their soluble counterparts may affect either the behavior of cancer cells and/or their microenvironment during cancer progression. The importance of these molecules has been highlighted since HSPGs have been proposed as prognostic markers of solid tumors and hematopoietic malignancies. Going a step further down the line, the multi-actions of SDCs in many levels make them appealing as potential pharmacological targets, either by targeting directly the tumor or indirectly the adjacent stroma.

A systematic study of carrier transfer along DNA dimers, trimers and polymers including poly(dG)-poly(dC), poly(dA)-poly(dT), GCGCGC..., ATATAT... is presented allowing to determine the spatiotemporal evolution of electrons or holes along a N base-pair DNA segment. Physical quantities are defined including maximum transfer percentage p and pure maximum transfer rate p/T when a period T is defined; pure mean transfer rate k and speed u=kd, where d is the charge transfer distance. The inverse decay length β for the exponential fit k=k0exp(-βd) and the exponent η for the power-law fit k=k0′N-η are computed. β≈0.2-2 Å-1, k0 is usually 10-2-10-1 PHz, generally ≈10-4-10 PHz. η≈1.7-17, k0′ is usually 10-2-10-1 PHz, generally ≈10-4-10 3 PHz. The results are compared with theoretical and experimental works. This method allows to assess the extent at which a specific DNA segment can serve for charge transfer.

 We give two general mathematical models predicting geopolitical events into a geopolitical system according to Mazis’ lakatosian formulation methodology for a Systemic Geopolitical Analysis. To this end, we consider weighted geopolitical indices and their measurements. When the weighted geopolitical indices, as well as the related geopolitical measurements take values in different times and different geographical points, then they form two sets in the four-dimensional Euclidean space. The distance between these sets can be considered as a measure for assessing the occurrence or not of a geopolitical event. To this direction, we give general frameworks of two algorithms for determining the time moments and geographical points at which is expected the appearance of peculiar geopolitical events.

INTRODUCTION: Novel therapeutic compounds are needed for prostate cancer (CaP), given the limitations of already used drugs and the disease's mortality, often attributed to castrate resistance. Tissue kallikrein and kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) form a family of serine proteases aberrantly expressed and broadly implicated in human malignancies. In CaP, KLKs participate in the promotion of cell proliferation, extracellular matrix degradation, tumour cell invasion and metastasis. AREAS COVERED: This review discusses the different ways of inhibiting, modulating and exploiting KLK activity and/or expression as emerging CaP therapeutics. KLKs are targeted by diverse naturally occurring substances, including proteinaceous inhibitors, low-molecular-weight peptides and Zn(2+). Synthetic KLK inhibitors include protein/peptide-based inhibitors and small molecules. A re-engineered serpin-based KLK inhibitor is under evaluation in first-in-human trials as a CaP therapeutic, whereas additional potent and selective KLK inhibitors with relevance to CaP have been synthesized. KLK3-activated pro-drugs have entered Phase I and Phase II clinical trials as therapeutics for prostate tumours. The KLK3-based PROSTVAC(R) vaccine is evaluated in Phase III clinical trials. Targeting KLK expression via RNA interference methods could represent another promising therapeutic approach for CaP. EXPERT OPINION: Apart from their immense biomarker potential, KLKs also hold promise as the basis of novel CaP therapeutics.

Very limited data exist on transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in the setting of a preexisting mitral prosthesis regarding the technique, potential complications, and outcomes. Here, we report two cases of transfemoral TAVI with a self-expanding bioprosthesis (CoreValve; Medtronic, Inc) in patients who had previously undergone mitral valve replacement (one with an Omniscience and one with a St. Jude prosthesis). A brief literature review is also presented.

The present study aims to assess the current groundwater quality and investigate its temporal evolution in the two identified aquifers (shallow and deep) located in the sedimentary sequence of Pinios River estuary. Significant land use changes mark groundwater management practices of the shallow aquifer over the past years, as traditional crops of high water requirements have been partly substituted by less water demanding crops, and groundwater abstractions have been reduced and substituted by surface water from Pinios River to cover irrigation needs over a large part of the study area. To study the effect of aforementioned land use changes, major groundwater physicochemical parameter values for the year 2013 were assessed and compared to the corresponding data for the years 1998 and 1999. The results indicate that the quality of the shallow aquifer in terms of groundwater salinization and nitrate pollution may be considered as satisfactory with higher groundwater salt content observed in the northern and southern parts of the system. The water quality characteristics of the deep aquifer are overall worse than the shallow aquifer as groundwater salt content is increasing towards the coast. The temporal comparison of the water quality characteristics demonstrates no significant changes for seawater intrusion related parameters such as Electrical Conductivity, and Na+ and Cl- concentrations, but also for pollution related parameters such as NO3 - concentrations.

Boron nitride, like graphene, can be formed as one-atom thick sheets or as nanotubes, then cut into nanoribbons with their atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. Two-dimensional hexagonal boron-nitride nanoribbons have been extensively investigated due to their excellent mechanical properties and high thermal conductivity. They also resist chemical change and are unaffected by high temperatures, leading researchers to believe that they could be consummate nanomaterials. The dimensions of boron-nitride nanoribbons as well as the shape of their edges, which may be armchair or zigzag, may affect the overall behavior of the nanoribbons. In the present paper, the mechanical behavior of different sized zigzag and armchair boron nitride nanoribbons is numerically investigated and predicted by using a structural mechanics approach based on the Brenner potential for boron nitride bonds. According to the proposed method, appropriate spring elements are combined in nanoscale in order to simulate the interatomic interactions appearing within boron-nitride nanostructure. The study focuses on the prediction of tensile stress-strain behavior of boron-nitride nanoribbons of different sizes and edge shapes as well as the estimation of significant corresponding material properties such as Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, tensile strength stress and tensile failure strain. The numerical results, which are compared with corresponding data given in the open literature where possible, demonstrate thoroughly the important influence of size and chirality of a narrow boron nitride monolayer on its mechanical behavior.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of intravenous thalidomide administration in an experimental model of musculoskeletal trauma. We hypothesized that because thalidomide inhibits secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), survival of animals that received thalidomide would be significantly prolonged. MATERIAL AND METHODS: After an open fracture of the right femur, 24 rabbits were randomly assigned to control and thalidomide groups. Intravenous therapy with thalidomide was started 30 min after fracture. Hemodynamic monitoring of all animals was performed for 4 h. Survival was recorded and bacterial growth in blood and organs was measured after animal death or sacrifice. Blood was sampled for TNF-α measurement and for isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Apoptosis of PBMCs was measured by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Survival was significantly prolonged in the thalidomide group. Apoptosis of PBMCs was increased in the control group compared with the thalidomide group at 24 h. There were no differences in vital signs, blood and tissue cultures, and serum TNF-α concentration between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous thalidomide prolonged survival in an experimental model of severe musculoskeletal injury in rabbits. Its mechanism of action did not involve TNF-α suppression but prevention of mononuclear apoptosis. In view of these promising results, further research is needed to clarify the immunomodulatory mechanism of action of thalidomide and its potential use for the management of severe trauma.

Magnetic properties of Ga1−xMnxN are studied theoretically by employing a tight binding approach to determine exchange integrals Jij characterizing the coupling between Mn spin pairs located at distances Rij up to the 16th cation coordination sphere in zinc-blende GaN. It is shown that for a set of experimentally determined input parameters there are no itinerant carriers and the coupling between localized Mn3+ spins in GaN proceeds via superexchange that is ferromagnetic for all explored Rij values. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations serve to evaluate the magnitudes of Curie temperature TC by the cumulant crossing method. The theoretical values of TC(x) are in quantitative agreement with the experimental data that are available for Ga1−xMnxN with randomly distributed Mn3+ ions with the concentrations 0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.1.

A non conventional source or receiver of THz and above THz electromagnetic radiation is proposed. Specifically, electron or hole oscillations in DNA dimers (two interacting DNA base‐pairs or monomers) are predicted, with frequency in the range f ~ 0.25 - 100 THz (period T ~ 10 - 4000 fs) i.e. potentially absorbing or emitting electromagnetic radiation mainly in the mid‐ and far‐infrared with wavelengths ~ 3 - 1200 μm. The efficiency of charge transfer between the two monomers which make up the dimer is described with the maximum transfer percentage p  and the pure maximum transfer rate pf. For dimers made of identical monomers p = 1, but for dimers made of different monomers p < 1. The investigation is extended to DNA trimers (three interacting DNA base‐pairs or monomers). For trimers made of identical monomers the carrier oscillates periodically with f ~ 0.5 - 33 THz (T ~ 30 - 2000 fs); for 0 times crosswise purines p = 1, for 1 or 2 times crosswise purines p < 1. For trimers made of different monomers the carrier movement may be non periodic. Generally, increasing the number of monomers above three, the system becomes more complex and periodicity is lost; even for the simplest tetramer the carrier movement is not periodic.

Aims: We apply both leptonic and leptohadronic emission scenarios for modelling the multiwavelength photon spectra and the observed variability in the optical, X-ray, and TeV gamma-ray energy bands of blazar PKS 2155-304 while being in a low state between 25 August and 6 September 2008. Methods: We consider three emission models, namely a one-component synchrotron self-Compton model (1-SSC), a one-zone proton synchrotron model (LHs), and a two-component SSC model (2-SSC). Only in the first scenario can the emission from the optical up to very high-energy (VHE) gamma-rays be attributed to a single particle population from one emission region. In the LHs model, the low-energy and high-energy bumps of the spectral energy distribution (SED) are the result of electron and proton synchrotron radiation, respectively, i.e. two different particle populations are required. In the 2-SSC model, the emission from one component dominates in the optical and gamma-ray energy bands, while the other one contributes only to the X-ray flux. Using a time-dependent numerical code that solves the kinetic equations for each particle species, we derived, in all cases, acceptable fits to the time-averaged SED. By imposing variations to one (or more) model parameters according to observed variability pattern in one (or more) frequencies we calculated the respective lightcurves and compared them with the observations. Results: We show that the 1-SSC model cannot account for the anticorrelation observed between the X-rays and VHE gamma-rays, although it can explain the time-averaged SED. The anticorrelation can be more naturally explained by the two-component emission models. Both of them reproduce satisfactorily the optical, X-ray, and TeV variability but at the cost of additional free parameters, which from four in the 2-SSC model increase to six in the LHs model. Although the results of our time-resolved analysis do not favour one of the aforementioned models, they suggest that a two-component scenario is more adequate for the emission of PKS 2155-304 in the low state of 2008, which agrees with a recent independent analysis. This suggests that the quiescent blazar radiation might result from a superposition of the radiation from different components, while a flare might still be the result of a single component.

Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is a distinct B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder for which clearly defined criteria for the diagnosis, initiation of therapy, and treatment strategy have been proposed as part of the consensus panels of International Workshops on WM (IWWM). As part of the IWWM-7 and based on recently published and ongoing clinical trials, the panels updated treatment recommendations. Therapeutic strategy in WM should be based on individual patient and disease characteristics (age, comorbidities, need for rapid disease control, candidacy for autologous transplantation, cytopenias, IgM-related complications, hyperviscosity, and neuropathy). Mature data show that rituximab combinations with cyclophosphamide/ dexamethasone, bendamustine, or bortezomib/dexamethasone provided durable responses and are indicatedformostpatients. Newmonoclonalan-tibodies (ofatumumab), second-generation proteasome inhibitors (carfilzomib), mam-malian target of rapamycin inhibitors, and Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors are promising and may expand future treatment options. A different regimen is typically recommended for relapsed or refractory disease. In selected patients with relapsed disease after long-lasting remission, reuse of a prior effective regimen may be appropriate. Autologous stem cell transplantation may be considered in young patients with chemosensitive disease and in newly diagnosed patients with very-high-risk features. Active enrollment of patients with WM in clinical trials is encouraged.

Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) is a rare and aggressive plasma cell disorder, with poor outcome. Bortezomib-based regimens (BBR) are highly effective in myeloma, but there is limited information about their efficacy and safety in PCL. Thus, we retrospectively collected data from 42 consecutive PCL patients (25 with primary PCL-pPCL and 17 with secondary PCL-sPCL) to explore the role of BBR in this entity. BBR were administered in 29 of 42 patients, while 6 of 25 patients with pPCL underwent autologous transplantation. Objective response (≥partial response) was significantly higher in patients treated with BBR versus conventional therapies (69% vs. 30.8%, P=0.04); 27.5% of patients treated with BBR achieved at least very good partial response (vgPR). The highest ORR was observed in pPCL patients treated with BBR (88.9%; ≥vgPR: 33.3%). In BBR-group, grade 3 of 4 hematological, neurological and renal toxicity and neutropenic infections were observed in 41.4%, 7%, 3.4%, and 31%, respectively. With a median follow-up of 51 months, median overall survival (OS) for patients treated with BBR versus conventional therapies was 13 versus 2 months (P<0.007). Median OS of patients with pPCL and sPCL treated with BBR was 18 and 7 months, respectively (P<0.001). In the multivariate analysis normal PLTs, treatment with BBR and high quality response were the only powerful predictors for survival. Our study carrying the longest reported median follow-up, demonstrated that treatment of PCL with BBR induces high response rates and prolongs survival over conventional therapies, regardless of additional autologous transplantation rescue or established high risk features, with manageable toxicity. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background. Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica (DEH) is rare and its main characteristic is osteochondromas of the epiphysis of long bones. Methods. We report a case of DEH of the ankle in an 8-year-old boy that was resected in 2005. Additionally we collect all the reported cases of DEH. The literature is reviewed regarding the treatment, prognosis, long term function, and patterns and areas affected by DEH. Results. In our case no complications were noted and our patient remains asymptomatic. Reviewing the literature we found that 73 authors have reported 144 cases from 1926 to 2013. We propose and describe a new classification that correlates with prognosis. According to our classification DEH is classified as types 1 with single lower limb involvement, 2 with multiple lower limb, 3 with single upper limb, 4 with multiple upper limb, 5 with upper and lower limb, and 6 with spine. Conclusions. All single lesions should be followed up and if indicated a whole body nuclear bone scan can be useful in identifying the existence of multiple affected joints. Type 1 lesions have better prognosis than 2 and have less chances of developing OA even if not resected. Resection, even if partial, can be a successful treatment for DEH.

The extremely large speed of light is a tremendous asset but also makes it challenging to control, store or shrink beyond its wavelength. Particularly, reducing the speed of light down to zero is of fundamental scientific interest that could usher in a host of important photonic applications, some of which are hitherto fundamentally inaccessible. These include cavity-free, low-threshold nanolasers, novel solar-cell designs for efficient harvesting of light, nanoscale quantum information processing (owing to the enhanced density of states), as well as enhanced biomolecular sensing. We shall here present nanoplasmonic-based schemes where timedependent sources excite “complex-frequency†modes in uniform (plasmonic) heterostructures, enabling complete and dispersion-free stopping of light pulses, resilient to realistic levels of dissipative, radiative and surface-roughness losses. Our theoretical and computational results demonstrate extraordinary large lightdeceleration factors (of the order of 15,000,000) in integrated nanophotonic media, comparable only to those attainable with ultracold atomic vapours or with quantum coherence effects, such as coherent population oscillations, in ruby crystals. © 2014 SPIE.

The Turkish political leadership of Davutoğlu-Erdoğan (in this hierarchical order) is fully aware of the gradual erosion of Turkey’s strategic value for the West in general and for NATO specifically. This erosion is attributed to geophysical factors, i.e. the melting of ice along the Northeastern Passage (Bering Strait). This geophysical development shall allow in a few years Russia’s approach to the strategic points of the Pacific Ocean in a timeframe that shall be three times faster in comparison to the US. This fact is expected to undermine in due time the strategic importance of Turkey as a containment factor (along with Greece) of Russian expansion into the warm waters of the Mediterranean. It also reduces significantly the overall strategic role of NATO’s Southeastern Wing, a role which is promoted under the moral-ideological cover of ‘GreekTurkish friendship’. This ‘Greek-Turkish friendship’ is continually challenged by Ankara in the Aegean Sea and in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Cyprus. We should also note that 38% of the territory of Cyprus Republic, a member-state of the European Union, is still under Turkish occupation.

Fractures of the lesser tuberosity of the humerus are typically met in combination with other injuries of the shoulder. Case reports of isolated lesser tuberosity fractures are particularly rare and, consequently, therapeutic protocols have not yet been completely clarified. Conservative as well as surgical treatment has been recommended, while several operative techniques have been applied. We present a case of a 39-year-old man with an isolated lesser tuberosity fracture who was treated surgically in our institution. Due to fracture comminution, a two-level reconstruction technique with headless screws and buttress plate was applied. As far as we know, this method of fixation of this type of fracture has not been previously described in the literature. The patient tolerated the procedure well and excellent results were obtained at the latest follow-up.

Conventional titanium dioxide (TiO2) materials can be activated only by ultraviolet (UV) light, which is only 4-5% of the whole solar spectrum. As a result, visible light (vis)-active TiO2-based photocatalysts have recently received significant attention in the field of TiO2 photocatalytic treatment and purification of water and air. This study reports the preparation of UV-visible light-active phosphorous (P)-doped, fluorine (F)-doped, and PF-co-doped anatase TiO2 nanoparticles via an innovative sol-gel method. Prepared nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and porosimetry analysis. Synthesized materials exhibited improved structural properties, including high surface area, small crystallite size, reduced band gap energy, mesoporous structure, and high porosity. Due to doping with P and F, light absorption of TiO2 in the visible light region was efficiently enhanced with effective band gap energy of 2.70 eV. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area for PF-co-doped, P-doped, F-doped, and reference TiO2 nanoparticles was 212.0, 175.0, 88.8, and 79.7 m2/g, respectively. PF-co-doped TiO2 showed the highest photocatalytic degradation of atrazine, which could be attributed to the beneficial effects including small crystallite size, high BET surface area, and light absorption in UV-visible region, induced by co-doping of TiO2 with P and F. Finally, reaction intermediates were determined, which confirms the photocatalytic degradation of atrazine using the synthesized catalysts under UV-visible light illumination. © Copyright 2014, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 2014.

Transporters are ubiquitous proteins mediating the translocation of solutes across cell membranes, a biological process involved in nutrition, signaling, neurotransmission, cell communication and drug uptake or efflux. Similarly to enzymes, most transporters have a single substrate binding-site and thus their activity follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Substrate binding elicits a series of structural changes, which produce a transporter conformer open toward the side opposite to the one from where the substrate was originally bound. This mechanism, involving alternate outward- and inward-facing transporter conformers, has gained significant support from structural, genetic, biochemical and biophysical approaches. Most transporters are specific for a given substrate or a group of substrates with similar chemical structure, but substrate specificity and/or affinity can vary dramatically, even among members of a transporter family that show high overall amino acid sequence and structural similarity. The current view is that transporter substrate affinity or specificity is determined by a small number of interactions a given solute can make within a specific binding site. However, genetic, biochemical and in silico modeling studies with the purine transporter UapA of the filamentous ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans have challenged this dogma. This review highlights results leading to a novel concept, stating that substrate specificity, but also transport kinetics and transporter turnover, are determined by subtle intramolecular interactions between a major substrate binding site and independent outward- or cytoplasmically-facing gating domains, analogous to those present in channels. This concept is supported by recent structural evidence from several, phylogenetically and functionally distinct transporter families. The significance of this concept is discussed in relationship to the role and potential exploitation of transporters in drug action.

Adrenal hemorrhage (AH) is a rare but serious condition that is often diagnosed at autopsy. Unilateral adrenal hemorrhage (UAH) in adults is extremely rare and is often due to trauma or anticoagulation or is associated with systemic illness. The case of a 73-year-old man who was diagnosed with UAH several days after an elective total knee replacement is presented. The patient had an uncomplicated procedure and he was treated postoperatively with a prophylactic dose of subcutaneous low-molecular- weight heparin and compression sleeves. On postoperative day 8, he reported sustained epigastric and midback pain at the lower thoracic level. He had a temperature of 38.5°C. On clinical examination, the patient expressed only mild tenderness at the lumbar area. Abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) scan were inconclusive. On postoperative day 13, the patient experienced no pain but remained febrile. An abdominal CT scan revealed a high-density mass on the left adrenal gland suggestive of hemorrhage. The subcutaneous heparin as well as the antimicrobial therapy was discontinued and a serum cortisol examination was done. Serum levels were within normal values in the evening and the morning. On postoperative day 16, all laboratory values returned to normal and the patient was discharged in excellent condition. Patients who have abdominal pain, hypotension, or both soon after initiation of anticoagulation or patients who experience abdominal pain, fever, nausea, or confusion postoperatively should be screened for AH.

BACKGROUND: Scalp psoriasis, one of the most common sites of psoriasis involvement, is often difficult to control with topical agents. There is a lack of substantial evidence-based data for the efficacy and safety of systemic therapies. METHODS: Two patients from our university-based psoriasis clinic with chronic plaque psoriasis and severe recalcitrant scalp involvement were assessed by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index and Psoriasis Scalp Severity Index scores, respectively, and quality of life by the Dermatology Life Quality Index. RESULTS: We report 2 psoriasis patients with very severe scalp psoriasis who developed a fast clinical response of scalp psoriasis to ustekinumab in 8 weeks with excellent patient adherence up to 28 weeks of follow-up and positive impact on quality of life due to rapid and long-term clearing. CONCLUSION: Ustekinumab produces a fast clinical response of recalcitrant scalp psoriasis with excellent patient adherence and a positive impact on quality of life due to rapid and long-term clearing in patients with very severe scalp involvement who failed conventional topical and systemic treatment.

Noble metal Ag-decorated, monodisperse TiO2 aggregates were successfully synthesized by an ionic strength-assisted, simple sol–gel method and were used for the photocatalytic degradation of the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) under both UV and visible light (UV–visible light) irradiation. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD); UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy; environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM); transmission electron microscopy (TEM); high-resolution TEM (HR-TEM); micro-Raman, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS); and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results showed that the uniformity of TiO2 aggregates was finely tuned by the sol–gel method, and Ag was well decorated on the monodisperse TiO2 aggregates. The absorption of the samples in the visible light region increased with increasing Ag loading that was proportional to the amount of Ag precursor added in the solution over the tested concentration range. The Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (The BET) surface area slightly decreased with increasing Ag loading on the TiO2 aggregates. Ag-decorated TiO2 samples demonstrated enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of OTC under UV–visible light illumination compared to that of pure TiO2. The sample containing 1.9 wt% Ag showed the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of OTC under both UV–visible light and visible light illumination. During the experiments, the detected Ag leaching for the best TiO2-Ag photocatalyst was much lower than the National Secondary Drinking Water Regulation for Ag limit (0.1 mg L−1) issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency. © 2013, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Je soutiens ici que les Britanniques, pour une période d’au moins 70 ans, ne considéraient pas Chypre comme une «colonie d’importance stratégique pour la Couronne». Je soutiens aussi que l’île était probablement placée, par les responsables de la Politique coloniale Britannique, dans la catégorie des «colonies pauvres», étant privée de matières premières ainsi que de toute infrastructure industrielle. Je propose alors aux chercheurs d’examiner comment la «Vieille Albion» concevait l’importance stratégique de Chypre jusqu’à la fin de la 2eme guerre mondiale et par conséquent, qu’ils cessent de toujours blâmer la partie grecque qui, soi-disant, n’a pas considéré cette «sensibilité» britannique et a cherché l’Union, «sans réfléchir, énervant ainsi les Anglais, avec les résultats désagréables qu’on sait».

BACKGROUND: Survivin is a novel antiapoptotic gene, which is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family. Recently, 3 splice variants of this gene were cloned and characterized. This study aimed to validate a sensitive and specific method for the detection of survivin variants in breast cancer. METHODS: Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed on the cDNA with a reverse primer specific for each splice variant and a pair of common hybridization probes. RESULTS: The expression of wild-type survivin was significantly correlated with survivin-2b, survivin-ΔEx3, and the ratio of survivin-ΔEx3 to wild-type survivin (P < .001). The ratio of survivin-2b to wild-type survivin was strongly associated with the ratio of survivin-ΔEx3 to wild-type survivin (P < .001). There was a strong positive association between the grade of the tumor and survivin-2b mRNA, survivin-ΔEx3 mRNA, and the ratio of survivin-ΔEx3 to wild-type survivin mRNA (P < .05). The ratio of survivin-2b to wild-type survivin was significantly associated with the presence of estrogen receptors (P = .05). CONCLUSION: Our validated data suggest that survivin isoforms may be related to clinicopathological features and could be used as molecular prognostic tools or as new therapy targets.

BACKGROUND: Survivin is a novel antiapoptotic gene, which is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family. Recently, 3 splice variants of this gene were cloned and characterized. This study aimed to validate a sensitive and specific method for the detection of survivin variants in breast cancer. METHODS: Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed on the cDNA with a reverse primer specific for each splice variant and a pair of common hybridization probes. RESULTS: The expression of wild-type survivin was significantly correlated with survivin-2b, survivin-DeltaEx3, and the ratio of survivin-DeltaEx3 to wild-type survivin (P < .001). The ratio of survivin-2b to wild-type survivin was strongly associated with the ratio of survivin-DeltaEx3 to wild-type survivin (P < .001). There was a strong positive association between the grade of the tumor and survivin-2b mRNA, survivin-DeltaEx3 mRNA, and the ratio of survivin-DeltaEx3 to wild-type survivin mRNA (P < .05). The ratio of survivin-2b to wild-type survivin was significantly associated with the presence of estrogen receptors (P = .05). CONCLUSION: Our validated data suggest that survivin isoforms may be related to clinicopathological features and could be used as molecular prognostic tools or as new therapy targets

Vanishing bone disease (Gorham-Stout syndrome) is a rare entity of unknown etiology, characterized by destruction of osseous matrix and proliferation of vascular structures, resulting in destruction and absorption of bone. Despite the extensive investigation of the pathogenetic mechanisms of the disease, its etiology hasn't been clarified and several theories exist. The syndrome can affect one or multiple bones of the patient, including the skull, the upper and lower extremities, the spine and pelvis. The clinical presentation of a patient suffering from vanishing bone disease includes, pain, functional impairment and swelling of the affected region, although asymptomatic cases have been reported, as well as cases in which the diagnosis was made after a pathologic fracture. In this short review we summarize the theories regarding the etiology as well as the clinical presentation, the diagnostic approach and treatment options of this rare disease.

Aim Although all five of the major mediterranean-climate ecosystems (MCEs) of the world are recognized as loci of high plant species diversity and endemism, they show considerable variation in regional-scale richness. Here, we assess the role of stable Pleistocene climate and Cenozoic topography in explaining variation in regional richness of the globe's MCEs. We hypothesize that older, more climatically stable MCEs would support more species, because they have had more time for species to accumulate than MCEs that were historically subject to greater topographic upheavals and fluctuating climates. Location South-western Africa (Cape), south-western Australia, California, central Chile and the eastern (Greece) and western (Spain) Mediterranean Basin. Methods We estimated plant diversity for each MCE as the intercepts of species–area curves that are homogeneous in slope across all regions. We used two down-scaled global circulation models of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to quantify climate stability by comparing the change in the location of MCEs between the LGM and present. We quantified the Cenozoic topographic stability of each MCE by comparing contemporary topographic profiles with those present in the late Oligocene and the early Pliocene. Results The most diverse MCEs – Cape and Australia – had the highest Cenozoic environmental stability, and the least diverse – Chile and California – had the lowest stability. Main conclusions Variation in plant diversity in MCEs is likely to be a consequence not of differences in diversification rates, but rather the persistence of numerous pre-Pliocene clades in the more stable MCEs. The extraordinary plant diversity of the Cape is a consequence of the combined effects of both mature and recent radiations, the latter associated with increased habitat heterogeneity produced by mild tectonic uplift in the Neogene.

This is the first documentation of a combination coccosphere from samples collected in the field (North Aegean Sea, NE Mediterranean) between the heterococcolithophore species Coronosphaera mediterranea (Lohmann 1902) Gaarder in Gaarder & Heimdal (1977) and the holococcolithophore species “Zygosphaera hellenica”. This specimen verifies previous combination coccosphere evidence found in culture and again demonstrates that “Zygosphaera hellenica” can be developed from cells of Coronosphaera mediterranea in a life-cycle association.

The active form vitamin D is a seco-steroid with multiple neurotrophic and neuroprotective functions in the central nervous system. Robust evidence from studies in animals suggests that vitamin D deficiency may impair brain physiological functioning causing anatomical and behavioral adverse effects. On the other hand, vitamin D has been found to be protective against biological processes associated with Alzheimer's disease and cognition, including amyloid-β deposition, inflammation, calcium homeostasis, and corticosteroid-induced perturbations in cortical areas and the hippocampus. Human studies that examined the relationship between vitamin D status and cognitive function have provided inconclusive results. The majority of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies suggest a potentially protective association, whereas results from clinical trials are mostly negative, or at best, controversial. We review these studies in humans, with particular emphasis on randomized and observational prospective ones.

We combine new BV photometry with the spectroscopic observations of the Gaia-ESO Survey to study the open cluster NGC6 705. 1028 stars were observed with the HR15n grating of the GIRAFFE instrument at VLT/UT2. The radial velocities obtained for those stars were used to derive membership probabilities. (1 data file).

This work is based on XMM-Newton and Chandra observations 30.0 of the central area of M 31 that were dedicated to the monitoring of SSS states of novae (PI: W. Pietsch). We report on the analysis of three observation campaigns carried out during Nov 2009 to Feb 2010, Nov 2010 to Mar 2011, and Nov 2011 to Mar 2012. (10 data files).

The addition of vorinostat to lenalidomide/dexamethasone represents a novel combination therapy in multiple myeloma (MM), informed by laboratory studies suggesting synergy. This was a phase I, multicenter, open-label, non-randomized, dose-escalating study in patients with relapsed or relapsed and refractory MM. Clinical evaluation, electrocardiogram, laboratory studies and adverse events were obtained and assessed. The maximum-tolerated dose was not reached owing to a non-occurrence of two dose-limiting toxicities per six patients tested at any of the dosing levels. Patients tolerated the highest dose tested (Level 5) and this was considered the maximum administered dose: at 400mg vorinostat on days 1-7 and 15-21, 25mg lenalidomide on days 1-21 and 40mg dexamethasone on days 1, 8, 15 and 22, per 28-day cycle. Drug-related adverse events were reported in 90% of patients serious adverse experiences were reported in 45% of the patients and 22% of all patients had adverse experiences considered, possibly related to study drug by the investigators. A confirmed partial response or better was reported for 14/30 patients (47%) evaluable for efficacy, including 31% of patients previously treated with lenalidomide. Vorinostat in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone proved tolerable with appropriate supportive care, with encouraging activity observed. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited.

We prospectively evaluated the effect of bortezomib, thalidomide and dexamethasone (VTD) consolidation on bone metabolism of 42 myeloma patients who underwent an autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). VTD started on day 100 post ASCT; patients received four cycles of VTD (first block), were followed without treatment for 100 days and then received another four VTD cycles (second block). During this 12-month period, bisphosphonates were not administered. Best response included stringent complete remission (sCR) in 15 (35.7%) patients, complete response (CR) in 13 (30.9%), vgPR in 7 (16.6%), PR in 4 (9.5%), while 3 (7.1%) patients developed a progressive disease (PD). Importantly, 33.3% and 47.6% of patients improved their status of response after the first and second VTD block, respectively. VTD consolidation resulted in a significant reduction of circulating C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of collagen type I (CTX), soluble receptor activator of the nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (sRANKL) and osteocalcin (OC), whereas bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (bALP) remained stable compared with pre-VTD values. During the study period, only one patient with a PD developed a skeletal-related event (that is, radiation to bone). The median time to progression (TTP) after ASCT was 34 months and the median time of next treatment was 40 months. We conclude that VTD consolidation post ASCT reduces bone resorption and is associated with a very low incidence of skeletal-related events (SREs) despite the absence of bisphosphonates; the later do not appear to be necessary in this context. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited.

Seasonal differences in the water content of fourCodringtoniaspecies were investigated using specimens collected from the field. In addition, rate of water loss and expression of heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp70) were measured in a laboratory setting with sixCodringtoniaspecies subjected to a short-term heat shock. Using a phylogenetic framework, both the Hsp70 expression levels and the rate of water loss were inves tigated for their correlation with spatial and climatic variables. As indicated by the field-collected samples, during summer aestivation only C. helenaeexhibited a tendency for water loss. During the short-term heat shock the rate of water loss inC. helenaewas also significantly greater. No interspecific differences could be detected in the levels of Hsp70 in the species subjected to short-term heat shock. A singleCodringtoniaspecies seemed to maintain increased Hsp70 protein levels. In the species subjected to short-term heat shock, a positive relationship was found between Hsp70 levels and rate of water loss. On the other hand, the Hsp70 levels under normal conditions showed a negative correlation with altitude and mean summer precipitation of the sampling localities. Thus, species seem to adapt to harsher environmental conditions by maintaining higher levels of Hsp70.

Seasonal differences in the water content of fourCodringtoniaspecies were investigated using specimens collected from the field. In addition, rate of water loss and expression of heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp70) were measured in a laboratory setting with sixCodringtoniaspecies subjected to a short-term heat shock. Using a phylogenetic framework, both the Hsp70 expression levels and the rate of water loss were inves tigated for their correlation with spatial and climatic variables. As indicated by the field-collected samples, during summer aestivation only C. helenaeexhibited a tendency for water loss. During the short-term heat shock the rate of water loss inC. helenaewas also significantly greater. No interspecific differences could be detected in the levels of Hsp70 in the species subjected to short-term heat shock. A singleCodringtoniaspecies seemed to maintain increased Hsp70 protein levels. In the species subjected to short-term heat shock, a positive relationship was found between Hsp70 levels and rate of water loss. On the other hand, the Hsp70 levels under normal conditions showed a negative correlation with altitude and mean summer precipitation of the sampling localities. Thus, species seem to adapt to harsher environmental conditions by maintaining higher levels of Hsp70.

Children who begin wheezing during early childhood are frequently seen by health care providers in primary care, in hospitals, and in emergency departments, and by allergists and pulmonologists. When a young child, such as the 2 year-old patient presented here, is evaluated for wheezing, a frequent challenge for clinicians is to determine whether the symptoms represent transient, viral-induced wheezing or whether sufficient risk factors are present to suspect that the child may experience recurrent wheezing and develop asthma. Most factors that influence prognosis are not mutually exclusive, are interrelated (ie, cofactors), and often represent gene-environment interactions. Many of these risk factors have been, and continue to be, investigated in prospective studies to decipher their relative importance with the goal of developing new therapies and interventions in the future. The etiologies of wheezing in young children, diagnostic methods, treatment, prognostic factors, and potential targets for prevention of the development of asthma are discussed.

Presentation at “Media, Religion and Gender in Europe: RISECI –Religion in the Shaping of European Cultural Identity”, organized by the Blanquerna Faculty of Communication and International Relations, University Ramon Llull, with the support of the Culture programme of the European Union, Barcelona, June 13, 2014.---------------------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT------------------------------   A cross-examination of the personal accounts of 210 women travelers and harem inmates of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries in Asia Minor, Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Africa and other occupied Ottoman territories “the real position of women in the religious system of Islam” (Garnett, 1895: 61). Women travelers from England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and America succeeded in doing what no male traveler, no man, had been able to do before or after them.  They surpassed the socio-religious barriers of Islam and penetrated into the gendered sphere and gendered boundaries of the Ottoman family/household, in other words the multiethnic harems of all the socioeconomic classes in Ottoman society. In contrast to their male counterparts, European and American women identify with the so-called  “Other”  using terms such as “Privileged Rape”, “Slavedom”, “Womanity”, “Woman-kind”, “Liberty”, “Freedom”, “Emancipation”, “Rape”, etc. They discuss the legal position and social privileges of free Muslim women and that of their islamized slaves, who were enslaved women and children of different nations. Namely, the female accounts focus on women’s legal rights with regard to marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance, veiling or imposed covering of the Muslim female’s face and body, Ottoman sexual politics, among other things.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   MME, ΘΡΗΣΚΕΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΦΥΛΟ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΥΡΩΠΗ: Η ΘΡΗΣΚΕΙΑ ΣΤΗ ΔΙΑΜΟΡΦΩΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΤΑΥΤΟΤΗΤΑΣ **Irene Kamberidou (2014). "Wo-manity" in the yoke of the harem:  European women travel writers, authors and journalists of the 17th , 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.   With Dr. Joseph M. Carbonell, Dean of the Blanquerna Faculty of Communication and International Relations, University Ramon Llull; Dr. Miriam Diez Bosch, Director of the Observatory on Media, Religion and Culture; Dr. Jordi Sanchez, Deputy Director of Blanquerna Observatory and other participants: Dr. Caroline Wilson, Duoda, Woen’s Research Centre, University of Barcelona Dr. Silvia Planas, Director of History of Jews Museum and Institute Nahmanides in Girona. Dr. Mia Lovheim, Professor of Sociology of Religion, Univerisy of Upsala Dr. Emiliana di Blasio, professor of sociology, Rome Dr. Gaspar Martinez, Professor of Votproa Tjeppgu Faculty Dr. Gloria Garcia Romeral Dr. Joanna Sumiala, Universioty of Helsinki Dr. Jordi Sanchez, Deputy Director of Blanquerna Observatory       Riseci.eu University Ramon Llull   Media, Religion and Gender in Europe/ MME, ΘΡΗΣΚΕΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΦΥΛΟ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΥΡΩΠΗ (Barcelona, June 13, 2014), RISECI –Religion in the Shaping of European Cultural Identity/ Η ΘΡΗΣΚΕΙΑ ΣΤΗ ΔΙΑΜΟΡΦΩΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΤΑΥΤΟΤΗΤΑΣ The Dean, Dr. Joseph M. Carbonell, Dean of the Blanquerna Faculty of Communication and International Relations, University Ramon Llull Dr. Miriam Diez Bosch, Director of the Observatory on Media, Religion and Culture Dr. Caroline Wilson, Duoda, Woen’s Research Centre, University of Barcelona Dr. Silvia Planas, Director of History of Jews Museum and Institute Nahmanides in Girona. Dr. Mia Lovheim, Professor of Sociology of Religion, Univerisy of Ups[psala Dr. Emiliana di Blasio, professor of sociology, Rome Dr. Gaspar Martinez, Professor of Votproa Tjep;pgu Faculty Dr. Gloria Garcia Romeral Dr. Joanna Sumiala, Universioty of Helsinki Dr. Jordi Sanchez, Deputy Director of Blanquerna Observatory     Barcelona June 14, 2014, after session on Media, Religion and Gender in Europe At the Picasso Museum https://www.facebook.com/obsblanquerna https://www.facebook.com/riseci http://www.periodistadigital.com/religion/opinion/2014/06/13/genero-religion-y-comunicacion-religion-iglesia-blanquerna.shtml    

© Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 2014. With current advances in medical treatment, reproductive issues have become more important for women with chronic immune-mediated diseases. Most, if not all, patients report that their disease affects their personal relationships, their decision to have children, and the size of their family. These decisions are multi-factorial, influenced mainly by concerns over the effect of pregnancy on the rheumatic disease, the impact of disease activity during pregnancy on foetal health, the patient's ability to care for the child, and the possible harmful effects medication could have on the child, both pre- and post-natally during breastfeeding. Apart from that, women's health issues tend to be overlooked in favour of the management of the underlying rheumatic disease. To this end, we convened an expert panel to review the published literature on women's health and reproductive issues and provide evidence- and eminence-based points to consider for the treating physicians. We conclude that there is a need for a change in mind-set from one which "cautions against pregnancy" to one which "embraces pregnancy" through the practice of individualised, pre- and post-conceptual, multi-disciplinary care.

Context. Classical novae (CNe) represent the major class of supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) in the central region of our neighbouring galaxy M 31. Aims: We performed a dedicated monitoring of the M 31 central region, which aimed to detect SSS counterparts of CNe, with XMM-Newton and Chandra between Nov. and Mar. of the years 2009/10, 2010/11, and 2011/12. Methods: We systematically searched our data for X-ray counterparts of CNe and determined their X-ray light curves and also their spectral properties in the case of XMM-Newton data. Additionally, we determined luminosity upper limits for all previously known X-ray emitting novae, which are not detected anymore, and for all CNe in our field of view with recent optical outbursts. Results: In total, we detected 24 novae in X-rays. Seven of these sources were known from previous observations, including the M 31 nova with the longest SSS phase, M31N 1996-08b, which was found to fade below our X-ray detection limit 13.8 yr after outburst. Of the new discoveries, several novae exhibit significant variability in their short-term X-ray light curves with one object showing a suspected period of about 1.3 h. We studied the SSS state of the most recent outburst of a recurrent nova, which had previously shown the shortest time ever observed between two outbursts (~5 yr). The total number of M 31 novae with X-ray counterpart was increased to 79, and we subjected this extended catalogue to detailed statistical studies. Four previously indicated correlations between optical and X-ray parameters could be confirmed and improved. Furthermore, we found indications that the multi-dimensional parameter space of nova properties might be dominated by a single physical parameter, and we provide interpretations and suggest implications. We studied various outliers from the established correlations and discuss evidence of a different X-ray behaviour of novae in the M 31 bulge and disk. Conclusions: Exploration of the multi-wavelength parameter space of optical and X-ray measurements is shown to be a powerful tool for examining properties of extragalactic nova populations. While there are hints that the different stellar populations of M 31 (bulge vs. disk) produce dissimilar nova outbursts, there is also growing evidence that the overall behaviour of an average nova might be understood in surprisingly simple terms. Partly based on observations with XMM-Newton, an ESA Science Mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and NASA.Tables 1-9 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/563/A2

We report on the evolution of the current X-ray outburst of the LMC Be/X-ray binary pulsar RX J0520.5-6932 (see ATel #5673) from our Swift/XRT monitoring. Since the start of the outburst (2013 Dec 28) the luminosity of the source has continued to rise to a maximum of 1.91×1038erg s-1 (0.3-10 keV band), which is close to or at the Eddington limit for a neutron star.

Context. Astronomical observations, analytical solutions, and numerical simulations have provided the building blocks to formulate the current theory of young stellar object jets. Although each approach has made great progress independently, it is only during the past decade that significant efforts have been made to bring the separate pieces together. Aims: Building on previous work that combined analytical solutions and numerical simulations, we apply a sophisticated cooling function to incorporate optically thin energy losses in the dynamics. On one hand, this allows a self-consistent treatment of the jet evolution, and on the other hand, it provides the necessary data to generate synthetic emission maps. Methods: Firstly, analytical disk and stellar outflow solutions are properly combined to initialize numerical two-component jet models inside the computational box. Secondly, magneto-hydrodynamical simulations are performed in 2.5D, correctly following the ionization and recombination of a maximum of 29 ions. Finally, the outputs are post-processed to produce artificial observational data. Results: The values for the density, temperature, and velocity that the simulations provide along the axis are within the typical range of protostellar outflows. Moreover, the synthetic emission maps of the doublets [O i], [N ii], and [S ii] outline a well-collimated and knot-structured jet, which is surrounded by a less dense and slower wind that is not observable in these lines. The jet is found to have a small opening angle and a radius that is also comparable to observations. Conclusions: The first two-component jet simulations, based on analytical models, that include ionization and optically thin radiation losses demonstrate promising results for modeling specific young stellar object outflows. The generation of synthetic emission maps provides the link to observations, as well as the necessary feedback for further improvement of the available models.

Context. Astronomical observations, analytical solutions, and numerical simulations have provided the building blocks to formulate the current theory of young stellar object jets. Although each approach has made great progress independently, it is only during the past decade that significant efforts have been made to bring the separate pieces together. Aims: Building on previous work that combined analytical solutions and numerical simulations, we apply a sophisticated cooling function to incorporate optically thin energy losses in the dynamics. On one hand, this allows a self-consistent treatment of the jet evolution, and on the other hand, it provides the necessary data to generate synthetic emission maps. Methods: Firstly, analytical disk and stellar outflow solutions are properly combined to initialize numerical two-component jet models inside the computational box. Secondly, magneto-hydrodynamical simulations are performed in 2.5D, correctly following the ionization and recombination of a maximum of 29 ions. Finally, the outputs are post-processed to produce artificial observational data. Results: The values for the density, temperature, and velocity that the simulations provide along the axis are within the typical range of protostellar outflows. Moreover, the synthetic emission maps of the doublets [O i], [N ii], and [S ii] outline a well-collimated and knot-structured jet, which is surrounded by a less dense and slower wind that is not observable in these lines. The jet is found to have a small opening angle and a radius that is also comparable to observations. Conclusions: The first two-component jet simulations, based on analytical models, that include ionization and optically thin radiation losses demonstrate promising results for modeling specific young stellar object outflows. The generation of synthetic emission maps provides the link to observations, as well as the necessary feedback for further improvement of the available models.

The aim of this study was to examine student teachers’ definitions of school bullying and perceived seriousness of bullying. Participants were 522 students at the Faculty of Primary Education, University of Athens, Greece. They replied to a question about the perceived seriousness of bullying and to an open question about the definition of bullying (Nikolaides, Toda, & Smith, 2002). Results showed that a considerable percentage of prospective teachers regarded bullying as a serious matter. In their definitions of bullying, they placed emphasis on physical and verbal bullying, on the bully’s intention to produce harm and on the victim’s suffering (empathy). However, some other important facets of bullying, such as duration/repetition, imbalance of power between bully and victim, the unjustified, unprovoked and group nature of bullying behavior, were much less frequently reported. Also, prospective teachers had considerable difficulty including in their definitions references to social exclusion as a specific form of bullying. Statistical significant differences in the above variables emerged as a function of gender and job experience. Results are discussed in comparison with the rather few relevant studies conducted in other countries on this issue and suggestions for the education of prospective teachers are made.

(2014). Από την αρχαία συμμετρία στη σύγχρονη αμετρία: Αρχές της φιλοσοφίας και αρχές του αθλητισμού Οι κορυφαίες φιλοσοφικές μορφές της ελληνικής αρχαιότητας, όπως ο Σωκράτης, ο Πλάτων και ο Αριστοτέλης, επηρέασαν καθοριστικά τη μεταγενέστερη φιλοσοφία έως και τις μέρες μας, ενώ αποτελούν τους παραδειγματικούς εκφραστές της αρετολογίας της αρχαίας Ελλάδας, αλλά και τους ιδανικούς εμπνευστές αρεταϊκών ιδεωδών στο σύγχρονο κόσμο. Με τις αναλύσεις τους για τη σχέση μεταξύ ψυχής και σώματος και τον τονισμό της αξίας της σωματικής άσκησης των νέων οι φιλόσοφοι αυτοί προσέδωσαν στον αρχαίο ελληνικό αθλητισμό σημασία πρωτόγνωρη για τα δεδομένα της εποχής. Ο αρχαίος αθλητής ήταν μέτοχος ενός πολιτισμού που εξέφραζε το σύμμετρον, το οποίο δεν ήταν παρά η αποτύπωση των φυσικών γνωρισμάτων του ελληνικού λαού. Η επιθυμητή αρμονία της ψυχής και του σώματος, που συνιστά το ιδεώδες της καλοκἀγαθίας, αποτελεί κεντρικό στοιχείο του αθηναϊκού πολιτισμού. Η φιλοσοφική προσέγγιση του σώματος δείχνει ότι οι εποχές και οι λαοί νοηματοδότησαν διαφορετικά τη σωματικότητα. Έτσι, ενώ στην κλασική αρχαιότητα η ψυχοσωματική ανάπτυξη εκλαμβάνεται ισομερής, αντίθετα στη βυζαντινή περίοδο η σωματικότητα εκλαμβάνεται πολύ υποδεέστερα απέναντι στην πνευματικότητα. Στις μεταβιομηχανικές κοινωνίες, όμως, έως και σήμερα κυριαρχεί η εμμονή στην επιδίωξη του κέρδους. Στο χώρο ειδικότερα του αθλητισμού, και σε αντίθεση με τον αρχαίο αθλητή, ο σύγχρονος αθλητής βάλλεται από ένα ιδεολογικά κερδοκεντρικό σύστημα, το οποίο επικροτεί το άμετρο, την υπερβολή, την βιομηχανοποίηση της επίδοσης και την εργαλειοποίηση του ανθρώπινου σώματος. Η αποσαφήνιση της αντιιδεαλιστικής και αντισυστημικής σχέσης της φιλοσοφίας με τη σωματικότητα του αθλητισμού υπόκειται στην ανάγκη για την όρθωση και την επεξεργασία μιας σύγχρονης φιλοσοφικής ανθρωπολογίας. Εάν δεν απαντηθεί εκ νέου το ερώτημα «τι είναι άνθρωπος», τότε τα μεταβιομηχανικά υλιστικά πρότυπα, καθώς μάλιστα διογκώνονται μέσα από την επικράτηση της σύγχρονης οικονομικής παγκοσμιοποίησης, παραμένουν κυρίαρχα και επιβεβλημένα. Παράλληλα, η ευγενής άμιλλα, αποτελώντας τον πυρήνα του αθλητικού ιδεώδους, λειτουργεί ως καίριο στοιχείο ηθικής αγωγής, και, κυρίως, αντιστέκεται στην πλεονεξία και στη σύγχρονη αμετρία.

Σημαντικὸ ρόλο στὴν ἀνάγνωση καὶ κατανόηση τῶν πολιτικοψυχολογικῶν ὅρων ποὺ ὡδήγησαν στὸν Μεγάλο Πόλεμο διεδραμάτισε ἡ διάδοσις τῶν ἀπόψεων τοῦ Sir Halford Mackinder καὶ τοῦ Friedrich Ratzel, καὶ συνεπῶς, ἡ ἀντίληψις ποὺ θέλει τὶς Χερσαῖες/Ἠπειρωτικὲς ∆υνάμεις νὰ ἐπικρατοῦν, ἐν τέλει, ἔναντι τῶν Ναυτικῶν  ∆υνάμεων. Το παρόν κείμενο αναφέρεται στη γεωστρατηγικὴ αντιπαλότητα της Ἀγγλίας και της Γερμανίας, αναλύοντας σε γεωπολιτικό επίπεδο τον Μεγάλο Πόλεμο.

Τὸ ἄρθρον ἐπικεντρώνεται εἰς τὴν γεωπολιτικὴν ἀνάλυσιν τῶν ἐνδοϊσλαμικῶν ἀνταγωνισμῶν ἰσχύος τῶν διεξαγομένων εἰς τὸ ἀσταθὲς σύστημα ΣυρίαςΛιβάνου. Ἡ γεωπολιτικὴ βαρύτητα ἡ ἐκπροσωπουμένη ἐκ τοῦ ὑποσυστήματος Συρίας-Λιβάνου, ἐντὸς τοῦ συστήματος τῆς Εὐρυτέρας Μέσης Ἀνατολῆς, ὡδήγησε μὲ ταχεῖς ρυθμούς εἰς τὸν μετασχηματισμὸν τῆς συριακῆς κρίσεως εἰς ἕνα περιφερειακὸν ἀνταγωνισμὸν μὲ ὑπερσυστημικὲς ἐπιρροές. Εἰς τὸ πρῶτον μέρος τοῦ ἄρθρου, ἀναλύεται ἡ καταλυτικὴ στρατιωτικὴ ἐμπλοκὴ τοῦ σηιτικοῦ γεωπολιτικοῦ παράγοντος (Ἰράν, Χεζμπαλᾶ) ἐπὶ τοῦ συριακοῦ ἐδάφους κατὰ τὸ πρῶτον ἥμισυ τοῦ 2013, καθὼς καὶ ἡ γεωπολιτικὴ σημασία, κατὰ πρῶτον, τῆς συμφωνίας ΗΠΑ-Ρωσσίας γιὰ τὸ συριακὸ χημικὸ ὁπλοστάσιο (Σεπτέμβριος 2013) καὶ ἀκολούθως, τῆς ἐνάρξεως τοῦ διπλωματικοῦ διαλόγου Οὐάσιγκτων-Τεχεράνης (Ὀκτώβριος-Νοέμβριος 2013). Τὰ ἄμεσα ἀποτελέσματα ἦσαν ἡ σταθεροποίησις τοῦ φιλο-ἰρανικοῦ καθεστῶτος Ἄσαντ καὶ ἡ ἀκύρωσις τῆς σαουδαραβικῆς ἐπιδιώξεως τῆς χρησιμοποιήσεως τῶν συριακῶν ἐδαφῶν διὰ τὴν ἰδικήν της ἀμφίπλευρον προβολήν ἰσχύος ἐπὶ τοῦ Λιβάνου καὶ τοῦ Ἰράκ. Εἰς τὸ δεύτερο καὶ κυρίως μέρος τοῦ ἄρθρου, ἀναλύονται οἱ ἀντενέργειες —ὡς πρὸς τὶς ἀνωτέρω ἐξελίξεις— τοῦ σονητικοῦ παράγοντος, ἐντὸς τοῦ ὑποσυστήματος Συρίας-Λιβάνου. Εἰδικώτερον, ἐξετάζονται οἱ γεωστρατηγικοὶ χειρισμοὶ τῆς Σαουδικῆς Ἀραβίας, οἱ στοχεύοντες νὰ ἀποτρέψουν μιὰν κρίσιμον ἀπόκλισιν τῆς περιφερειακῆς ἀνακατανομῆς ἰσχύος ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰράν. Ἐπίσης, καταγράφονται οἱ τρομοκρατικὲς ἐνέργειες τῶν νεοεμφανιζομένων σονιτικῶν ἐξτρεμιστικῶν ὀργανώσεων τῶν σχετιζομένων μὲ τὴν Ἀλ Κάϊντα, οἱ  ἐπιδιώκουσες τὴν ἀπόκτησιν ηὐξημένης ἰσχύος καὶ ρόλου, μέσῳ τῆς μεγαλυτέρας ἀποσταθεροποιήσεως τοῦ ὑποσυστήματος

Μήπως ο δομικός μηχανισμός του αθλητισμού που επικεντρώνεται στις διαφορές των φύλων αποτελεί ταυτόχρονα μηχανισμό παραγωγής κοινωνικής ανισότητας; Μήπως η επικέντρωση στην έμφυλη διαφορά/κατηγοριοποίηση στον αγωνιστικό αθλητισμό αποτελεί αφορμή για την αναπαραγωγή κοινωνικών ανισοτήτων (π.χ. υποεκπροσώπηση στους αθλητικούς θεσμούς);  Μήπως η βιολογική βάση του αξιολογικού χαρακτήρα της διχοτομίας των φύλων στον αγωνιστικό αθλητισμό αποτελεί κατά ένα μεγάλο μέρος κοινωνικό κατασκεύασμα;  Αυτή η εργασία τεκμηριώνει ότι ο ολυμπιακός αθλητισμός λειτούργησε και λειτουργεί ως μέσο κοινωνικής χειραφέτησης  για τις γυναίκες, μολονότι εμφανίζεται στις αρχές της κοινωνικής του παρουσίας ως εκείνος ο θεσμός ο οποίος εμφανέστατα περιθωριοποίησε τις γυναικείες αξιώσεις για συμμετοχή στα ολυμπιακά δρώμενα. Αρχικά εξετάζουμε πως κατασκευάστηκε και παγιώθηκε ο κοινωνικός μύθος περί «ασθενές φύλου», κυρίως με βάση αντιλήψεις ιατρικής προέλευσης, ειδικά τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες του 19ου αιώνα  όταν αναπτύσσονταν «επιστημονικά» ενισχυμένες αντιλήψεις που αποσκοπούσαν στον αποκλεισμό των γυναικών από δημόσιου χαρακτήρα δραστηριότητες (Sandow 1898, Moebius 1908, Weininger 1917, Webster 1930, Pfister 1990. Στη συνέχεια, όσον αφορά στη γυναικεία αθλητική επιχειρηματικότητ, παρουσιάζουμε τις συστηματικές προσπάθειες της Alice Milliat, Γαλλίδας αθλήτριας/ακτιβίστριας και Προέδρου της Παγκόσμιας Ομοσπονδίας Γυναικείου Αθλητισμού (FSFI), η οποία διοργάνωνε αυτόνομους Γυναικείους Ολυμπιακούς Αγώνες, καθώς και διάφορα γυναικεία πρωταθλήματα, όπως γυναικείο ποδόσφαιρο και ποδηλασία, σε εποχές που η αθλητική δραστηριότητα των γυναικών στιγματίζονταν κοινωνικά και η ενασχόληση της γυναίκας με τον αγωνιστικό αθλητισμό θεωρείτο βιολογικά και ψυχικά επιβλαβής. Οι γυναικείες Ολυμπιάδες ήταν η απάντηση   φεμινιστικών κύκλων με επικεφαλής τη γαλλίδα Alice Milliat, απέναντι στις συνεχείς αρνήσεις της ΔΟΕ,  της Διεθνούς Ομοσπονδίας Ερασιτεχνικού Αθλητισμού (International Amateur Athletic Federation) και του ίδιου του Coubertin να επιτραπεί στις γυναίκες να συμμετάσχουν σε ολυμπιακά αθλήματα, θεωρούμενα κατ' εξοχήν ανδρικά, όπως οι αγώνες δρόμου. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Invited speaker

1. Καμπερίδου, Ειρήνη (2014). «Γυναικεία επιχειρηματικότητα: ο αθλητισμός ως πεδίο κοινωνικής χειραφέτησης». Εισήγηση, μετά από πρόσκληση στην επιστημονική εσπερίδα του Δήμου Παιανίας και του Συλλόγου «ΔΗΜΟΣΘΕΝΗΣ» 2/5/2014 με θέμα ‘Γυναίκα & Άθληση «… Μουσικήν τε και Γυμναστικής…» για την μορφοποίηση  της Γυμναστικής στην ιδιοσυγκρασία και στην  υπηρεσία της Γυναίκας.’

• Kamberidou, I. (2014). Women entrepreneurs: sport, a social emancipation space. Presentation at the seminar/lectures on Women & Sport – Music and Gymnastices’, organized by the Municipality of Peania, Greece.

«Μουσικήν τε και Γυμναστικής» για την μορφοποίηση  της Γυμναστικής στην ιδιοσυγκρασία και στην  υπηρεσία της Γυναίκας.’

Τα έργα, τα ταξιδιωτικά χρονικά, τα προσωπικά ημερολόγια και οι επιστολές δυτικών περιηγητριών που δεν έχουν δει το φως της δημοσιότητας, σε σύγκριση μ' εκείνα των περιηγητών, μας προσφέρουν ένα ανεξερεύνητο, πρωτότυπο και αδημοσίευτο υλικό, καθώς και μια γυναικεία οπτική και προσέγγιση της οσμανικής πραγματικότητας. Χιλιάδες γυναίκες, Αγγλίδες, Γαλλίδες, Γερμανίδες, Σουηδέζες, Ελβετές, Αυστριακές και Αμερικανίδες επισκέφτηκαν, φιλοξενήθηκαν κι έμειναν σε χαρέμια της οθωμανικής κοινωνίας. Περιηγήθηκαν, εξερεύνησαν, έζησαν ως μόνιμες κάτοικοι ή υπηρέτησαν ως εθελόντριες, ως ιεραπόστολοι, ως εκπαιδευτικοί και ως νοσοκόμες, σε κατεχόμενες από τον τουρκικό ζυγό περιοχές που θεωρούνταν, σύμφωνα με τις μαρτυρίες τους, βάρβαρες και επικίνδυνες για το γυναικείο φύλο, όπως η Μικρά Ασία, ο Πόντος, η Κύπρος, η Ελλάδα κ.ά. Εργάστηκαν σε χαρέμια ως ζωγράφοι, ως γκουβερνάντες, ως καμαριέρες, ως υπηρέτριες ή ως συνοδοί γυναικών της οθωμανικής ελίτ κ.ά. Η έρευνα βασίστηκε σε πολύ εκτεταμένο, πλούσιο και πρωτότυπο αρχειακό υλικό, άγνωστου μέχρι πρότινος (Καμπερίδου 2002, 2014) Εντοπίσαμε, επιλέξαμε και συγκεντρώσαμε τα έργα 210 δυτικών περιηγητριών του 17ου, 18ου, 19ου και αρχών του 20ου αιώνα – περί τα 650 έργα -ταξιδιωτικά χρονικά, άρθρα και επιστολές, τα οποία μας οδήγησαν, μέχρι στιγμής, στην εύρεση τουλάχιστον 6.000 δυτικών περιηγητριών. Η εξονυχιστική έρευνα, καταγραφή, μελέτη και διασταύρωση πληροφοριών-μαρτυριών των περιηγητριών που βασίζονται αποκλειστικά στην επιτόπια παρατήρηση τους αναδεικνύει το χαρέμι ως σημαντικό θεσμό, για να ερμηνεύσουμε και να κατανοήσουμε τη δομή και λειτουργία της οθωμανικής κοινωνίας. Με πλοηγό την πρωτογενή γυναικεία πληροφόρηση του 18ου και 19ου αιώνα, εξετάζουμε το θεσμό του οθωμανικού χαρεμιού, για να αντλήσουμε πληροφορίες για τον πολυεθνικό θεσμό της δουλείας, τον δεσποτισμό και την επεκτατική πολιτική του θεοκρατικού και αυταρχικού συστήματος της Οθωμανικής Αυτοκρατορίας. Εν ολίγοις, το χαρέμι αποτελεί ένα εργαλείο - μέσο παρατήρησης για την κατανόηση και ερμηνεία ολόκληρης της οθωμανικής κοινωνίας η οποία βασιζόταν στον θεσμό της δουλείας - σ' όλη την επικράτεια - από την υπόδουλη Αθήνα έως την υπόδουλη Θεσσαλονίκη, από την Κωνσταντινούπολη έως την Τραπεζούντα κλπ. [Μόνιμη διεύθυνση (Πέργαμος) https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/2417974] --------------------------------------------------------------Η Πολυεθνική Δουλεία-Γυναικείες μαρτυρίες. Το Χαρέμι αποτελεί ένα εργαλείο παρατήρησης για την κατανόηση και ερμηνεία ολόκληρης της Οθωμανικής κοινωνίας, η οποία βασιζόταν στο θεσμό της δουλείας, από την υπόδουλη Αθήνα έως την υπόδουλη Θεσσαλονίκη, από την Κωνσταντινούπολη έως την Τραπεζούντα, κτλ. Το βιβλίο πραγματεύεται την πραγματική καθημερινή ζωή της γυναίκας στο "επίκεντρο της ίντριγκας", σύμφωνα με τις επιτόπιες μαρτυρίες 210 δυτικών περιηγητριών και έγκλειστων στα χαρέμια γυναικών του 17ου, 18ου, 19ου και αρχές 20ου αιώνα. Θεματολογία: γυναικεία περιήγηση· μαρτυρίες ιστορικών γεγονότων· δουλεμπόριο· σκλαβοπάζαρα· εξισλαμισμός· ευνουχισμός· νεομάρτυρες· κρυπτοχριστιανοί· "προνομιακός βιασμός"· Ελληνίδες σουλτάνες· γυναικοκρατούμενη κυβέρνηση· γυναικεία δίκτυα· πελατειακές σχέσεις· παιδικό χαρέμι· αποδράσεις· αποστασία από το Ισλάμ· ήθη και έθιμα· γάμος· διαζύγιο· μοιχεία· εκπαίδευση· αντιλήψεις για το σώμα· χορός, μουσική και εκγύμναση ως σύμβολα κοινωνικής κατωτερότητας· γυναικεία λουτρά· χαμάμ· υπερκατανά- λωση τροφών και ναρκωτικών ουσιών· παχυσαρκία· το πάχος ένδειξη ανώτερου κοινωνικού στάτους· χοροί και μουσική των υποτελών λαών: Ελλήνων, Αρμενίων, Τσιγγάνων, κ.ά.

Σε αυτό το άρθρο επιχειρούμε να εστιάσουμε στον τρόπο που μπορεί να αξιοποιηθεί μεθοδολογικά η αρχή της διαψευσιμότητας στον έλεγχο των θεωρητικών εννοιών που χρησιμοποιούνται για την ερμηνεία του μετασχηματισμού κοινωνικών δομών, ή θεσμών. Μέσα από την ανάδειξη των προβληματικών σημείων της μαρξιστικής προσέγγισης (π.χ. ντετερμινισμός, αναγωγική λογική, πραγμοποίηση και ανθρωπομορφισμός) επιχειρείται η ανασκευή των προβλημάτων που είτε λανθάνουν, είτε αναφέρονται, αλλά δεν επιλύονται, σε άλλα σχετικά άρθρα. Αυτό που επιχειρείται από την πλευρά μας είναι η ανάπτυξη μιας ευρύτερης και γενικότερης συζήτησης πάνω στον τρόπο με τον οποίο χρησιμοποιείται το θεωρητικό και εννοιολογικό πλαίσιο κατά την ερμηνεία στην ιστορία της εκπαίδευσης.

(2014). Η έννοια του αγώνα και το αγωνιστικό ιδεώδες των Ελλήνων Κατά την περίοδο της ελληνικής αρχαιότητας η ιστορία ενώνεται με το μύθο, ο συμβολισμός με την παράδοση και η εγκράτεια με την έμπνευση, σε ένα φάσμα εξαιρετικά ευρύ. Πίσω από τις εκδηλώσεις της ζωής κρύβεται, ωστόσο, η ψυχή του λαού, η οποία ως θεμελιώδη χαρακτηριστικά έχει την αγάπη προς το ωραίο, την ελευθερία και τον αγώνα. Το ελληνικό πνεύμα με τη διαρκή αγωνιστικότητα δημιούργησε τον πολιτισμό του ηθικά και αισθητικά ωραίου, καθώς και τον πολιτισμό της ελευθερίας, τις δύο μορφές πολιτισμού που χαρακτηρίζουν και την αρχαία και τη μεσαιωνική και τη σύγχρονη Ελλάδα. Από τότε που εμφανίζεται για πρώτη φορά ο Έλληνας μέχρι σήμερα διαρκώς αγωνίζεται, πότε κατά τον πόλεμο και πότε κατά την ειρήνη. Αγωνίζεται ως άτομο, αλλά και ως κοινωνικό και πολιτικό σύνολο, ως πόλη της αρχαιότητας, αλλά και ως κρά­τος μεσαιωνικό ή νεότερο, ως ομάδα και φυλή, ως οικογένεια και γένος, ως λαός και έθνος. Δεν είναι τυχαίο, εξάλλου, ότι ως ‘έθνος’ οργανώθηκε μέσα στη φάση αντιπαλότητας των διαιρεμένων πόλεων που πολεμούσαν μεταξύ τους. Οι προσπάθειες, οι μάχες και οι αγώνες είναι, κατά κάποιο τρόπο, το πεπρωμένο του Έλληνα στη μακρινή του πορεία. Ειδικότερα ο όρος «αγών», έχοντας τόση ιστορία πίσω του όση και η ίδια η Ελλάδα, αποκαλύπτει το αγωνιστικό ιδεώδες της ελληνικής ψυχής. Ο έμφυτος ατομισμός του Έλληνα, αντίθετα με ό,τι ίσχυσε για την υποτακτική προσωπικότητα του ανθρώπου της Ανατολής, τον βοήθησε ν’ ανακαλύ­ψει τη μορφή του φορέα του αγώνα, δηλαδή τον ένα άνθρωπο. Από τη στιγμή της εισόδου του στην ιστορική κονίστρα, είτε αυτή επρόκειτο για την αρχαία παλαίστρα, είτε για κάθε πεδίο δράσης όπου εκδηλώνεται ανταγωνισμός για την επικράτηση, ο άνθρωπος σταμάτησε, πλέον, να συνιστά μια αφανή μονάδα, και έγινε ελεύθερη οντότητα, συνιστώντας οργανικό µέρος του πολιτικού και κοινωνικού συνόλου. Ο ανθρωπολογικός ατομισμός των Ελλήνων, σε συνδυασμό με την κοινωνικότητά τους, γέννησε, επομένως, τον αγώνα, ως αποτέλεσμα της σύνθεσης του ατομικού και του κοινωνικού στοιχείου της ελληνικής ψυχής. Το αγωνιστικό πνεύμα αφήνει τα ίχνη του σε όλες τις πτυχές της ιστορικής ζωής, όπως δηλώνει και η διαμόρφωση από τους Έλληνες των αθλητικών αγώνων, οι οποίοι υπογραμμίζουν την καθολικότητα του αγωνιστικού φαινομένου της ελληνικής ζωής. Το υγιές πνεύμα της άμιλλας και του αγώνα αποτέλεσε διαρκές κίνητρο νέας δημιουργίας, ήταν δηλαδή κίνητρο παιδείας. Ο ελληνικός πολιτισμός συνίσταται, εν τέλει, σε µία ισορροπία αντιθέσεων, που, όμως, δεν αποσυντίθεται όπως ίσως θα αναμενόταν, αλλ’ αντιθέτως, αυτοσυντηρείται και εξελίσσεται. Ο σύγχρονος αγώνας συνεχίζεται στα νέα πεδία της ιστορικής δράσης του ελληνισμού. Κι αν το αρχαίο ελληνικό θαύμα ως ιστορικό φαινόμενο έμεινε ανεπανάληπτο, ωστόσο ο αγώνας δεν διακόπηκε, αλλά έλαβε άλλες μορφές, τις οποίες υπαγορεύουν οι ανάγκες των νέων καιρών. Ο ουσιαστικότερος αγώνας, πάντως, σήμερα είναι ο ανθρωπιστικός, ο οποίος δίνει έμφαση στην αξία του ανθρώπου, υποστηρίζοντας πως αληθινό είναι μόνο ό,τι προάγει την ανθρώπινη ζωή και οδηγεί τον άνθρωπο στην ολοκλήρωσή του. *** ΟΙ ΔΙΑΛΟΓΟΙ ΤΩΝ ΑΘΗΝΩΝ. Αγώνες πνεύματος και αγώνες σώματος. Ίδρυμα Ωνάση- harvard.eduhttp://athensdialogues.chs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/athensdialogues.woa/wa/dist?dis=156http://www.blod.gr/lectures/Pages/viewlecture.aspx?LectureID=1336 http://www.blod.gr/lectures/Pages/viewevent.aspx?EventID=341                 https://el-gr.facebook.com/athensdialogues/posts/10152367758716810                http://www.athensdialogues.org/el/academic-events-el/conferences-2014-el/races-body-   spirit- el/video-el/ http://argos.chs.harvard.edu:9090/media/ad-2014-goggaki

The great narrative is an invitation for the discovery of a problem, as Jerome Bruner stated. Ifwe select gifted writers and poets and study their work as well as their narratives about loneli-ness during their childhood years (and not only then), we will uncover many faces of loneli-ness and solitude – perhaps the most painful and the most beneficial ones. We selected asmall number of writers from Greece and other countries, in the childhood of whom loneli-ness and solitude had played a significant part and seemed to have determined their lives andwork. By focusing on specific aspects of their lives and work, we discuss how lonelinessmeets with the gift of narrative from the early years of life.

(2014). Η σχέση της φιλοσοφίας και του αθλητισμού από την αρχαιότητα έως τον σύγχρονο κόσμο Ο αθλητικός αγώνας αναπτύχθηκε εντός της φυσικής, ιδεολογικής και κοινωνικής ατμόσφαιρας του αρχαίου ελληνικού πολιτισμού. Φιλοσοφικά, η ιδεολογία που καλλιεργείται στους πανελλήνιους αθλητικούς αγώνες αποτελεί την αντανάκλαση του βαθύτερου υπόβαθρου με το οποίο ταυτίζεται ο κλασικός πολιτισμός, δηλαδή της συνύπαρξης, και μάλιστα της ισορροπημένης συνύπαρξης, των αντιθέτων. Την περίοδο αυτή ήταν ισχυρή η οντολογική σχέση μεταξύ ψυχής και σώματος. Το κάλλος, το ωραίο, το ιδεώδες, ο άθλος, το κλέος, η ηθική του αγώνα και του αθλητή ως προτύπου, η αισθητική και η αξιολογία τους είναι έννοιες φιλοσοφικές, έννοιες που ανήκουν στη σφαίρα και στη δικαιοδοσία της φιλοσοφίας. Το ενδιαφέρον για τη σωματική υπόσταση του ανθρώπου, ως σημαντικού μέρους της διττής ανθρώπινης υπόστασης, δεν έπαψε ποτέ να απασχολεί τους διανοητές και τις κοινωνίες, μιας και ο αθλητισμός αντιμετωπίστηκε ως τμήμα της εκάστοτε κοινωνικής ζωής. Η στάση προς το φυσικό σώμα, είτε πρόκειται για στάση σεβασμού είτε για στάση απαξίωσης, έχει γνωρίσματα φιλοσοφικά και ιδεολογικά. Οι μεταβιομηχανικές ιδίως κοινωνίες, έως και τις μέρες μας, χαρακτηρίζονται από τον βιομηχανοποιημένο τρόπο ζωής και τον εκμηχανισμένο τρόπο παραγωγής, απόρροια ενός εκμηχανισμένου πολιτισμού. Επικρατεί ο οικονομικός υλισμός, και η απολυτοποίηση του κέρδους και οτιδήποτε υλιστικού, στο οποίο και εντάσσεται το φυσικό ανθρώπινο σώμα, το οποίο στην πραγματικότητα καθίσταται θύμα αυτής της ισοπεδωτικής και υπολανθάνουσας λογικής. ανθρώπου. Η ανθρωπολογική έννοια του αθλητισμού μπορεί να προσδιορίσει ένα όριο ασφαλείας, το οποίο θα προφυλάσσει το αθλητικό και γενικότερα το ανθρώπινο σώμα από την υπερέκθεση και την υπερκατανάλωση. Διαφαίνεται, επομένως, η ανάγκη της «φιλοσοφικής ανθρωπολογίας», της σύλληψης δηλαδή της ουσίας του ανθρώπου, αλλά και της πολιτικής φιλοσοφίας του σώματος.

Ο συγγραφέας αναλύει τα σημαντικά γεγονότα, σχετικά με τα έντονα φαινόμενα διαφθοράς, τα οποία συγκλονίζουν την ισλαμιστική κυβέρνηση Ερντογάν, και ουσιαστικά, αναδεικνύει μια έντονη και εξουθενωτική ενδοϊσλαμιστική διαμάχη μεταξύ του Ισλαμιστικού Μυστικιστικού Τάγματος του Ιμάμη, του δήθεν «ηπίου Ισλάμ» τού Φετουλάχ Γκιουλέν (και της οργάνωσής του, των «Φετουλαχή») και του Ερντογάν.

1.  ISSN 2241-0015.

Η δημοσίευση βασίζεται στην ομιλία του γράφοντος στο Α΄ Συνέδριο του μεταπτυχιακού προγράμματος «Σπουδές στην Ορθόδοξη Θεολογία» του ΕΑΠ που έγινε στην Πάτρα στις 2-3 Μαίου 2014 (βλ. http://www.cais.upatras.gr/node/5119)  και περιλαμβάνει σύντομη ιστορική αναδρομή για τη θεολογική συζήτηση στην Ελλάδα για τις μεταμοσχεύσεις, κυρίως για τα θέματα της «εικαζόμενης συναίνεσης» και του λεγόμενου εγκεφαλικού θανάτου.

The aim of this study was to examine student teachers’ knowledge and attitudes toward school bullying. Participants were 676 students at the Faculty of Primary Education, University of Athens, Greece. They replied to a question about the perceived seriousness of bullying (Nikolaides, Toda, & Smith, 2002), and completed the Teachers’ Attitudes About Bullying Questionnaire (Beran, 2005). Principal components analysis confirmed the five-component structure of the questionnaire. Results showed that a considerable percentage of prospective teachers regarded bullying as a serious matter and wanted to learn more about this issue during their studies. Also, they expressed high personal commitment and system commitment to dealing with bullying. Although they are not satisfied with their education on bullying, they exhibit at least moderate confidence in coping with it. Results are discussed in comparison with the few relevant studies conducted in other countries on this issue and in relation to the developmental characteristics of emerging adults.

Γεβανική (ή Εβραιοελληνική ή Ρωμανιώτικη) ονομάζεται η διάλεκτος των Ρωμανιωτών Eβραίων της Ελλάδας. Η διάλεκτος αυτή μιλιέται ήδη από τα ελληνιστικά χρόνια και παρουσιάζει μεγάλο επιστημονικό ενδιαφέρον, καθώς γεννήθηκε από τη διεπαφή κυρίως δυο μεσογειακών γλωσσών με μακρά ιστορία (της ελληνικής και της εβραϊκής), που ανήκουν σε διαφορετικές γλωσσικές οικογένειες, στην ινδοευρωπαϊκή και τη σημιτική, αντίστοιχα. Τόσο η Connerty (2003) όσο και το Ethnologue χαρακτηρίζουν τη γεβανική ως σχεδόν εξαφανισμένη διάλεκτο εξαιτίας της βίαιης συρρίκνωσης του αριθμού των ομιλητών της κατά το Ολοκαύτωμα (στην Ελλάδα, ένας μικρός αριθμός εντοπίζεται σήμερα στα Ιωάννινα και τη Χαλκίδα), της διασποράς των ομιλητών της κυρίως προς την Αμερική (Νέα Υόρκη) και το Ισραήλ και της όλο και μεγαλύτερης αφομοίωσής της από την ελληνική. Το ερώτημα που γεννάται είναι ποια είναι η συγχρονική μορφή της διαλέκτου αυτής σε αυτό το κρίσιμο σημείο της εξαφάνισής της εντός και εκτός των ελληνικών συνόρων. Η παρούσα μελέτη αποσκοπεί στην περιγραφή της σύγχρονης μορφής της γεβανικής διασώζοντας τα τελευταία σπαράγματά της. Μέσα από τη συλλογή προφορικών δεδομένων από ομιλητές της στα Γιάννενα και τη Νέα Υόρκη η εργασία αυτή έχει ως στόχο να καταγράψει τα τυπολογικά χαρακτηριστικά της γεβανικής σε όλα τα επίπεδα γραμματικής ανάλυσης (φωνολογία, μορφολογία, σύνταξη-σημασιολογία, λεξιλόγιο) και να προβλέψει το μέλλον της πριν εξαφανιστούν οι τελευταίοι εναπομείναντες ομιλητές της. The Yevanic dialect (also known as Judeo-Greek or Romaniotika) has been the language of the Romaniote Jews of Greece since the Hellenistic period. As a product of language contact between Greek and Hebrew (two languages belonging to different language families, Indo-european and Semitic, respectively) Yevanic shows a remarkable blend of grammatical and lexical features. However, recent studies and surveys (e.g. Connerty (2003) and the Ethnologue) characterize it as almost extinct, as the majority of its native speakers perished in the Holocaust. Yevanic is currently spoken by a small number of speakers in Yannena, Chalkida, New York and Israel. From a linguistic point of view, the interesting question that arises is what the current form and main grammatical characteristics of this linguistic variety are.The current study aims at documenting and analysing the current status of Yevanic at the main levels of linguistic analysis (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and the lexicon). We also offer a tentative prediction of its future before the dissapearance of its last speakers.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between school bullying/ victimization and symptoms of anxiety disorders in preadolescents. Participants were 255 fifth- and sixth-grade students from primary schools of Attica region. They completed the Greek versions of the following measures: the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (Olweus, 2006), the Social Anxiety Scale for Children- Revised (LaGreca & Stone, 1993), the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale (Smith, Perrin, Dyregrov, & Yule, 2003), and the Psychosomatic Symptom Score (Aro, Paronen, & Aro, 1987). Social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosomatic symptoms were all found to be positively correlated to both the tendency to be victimized and the tendency to bully others. The more the tendency to be victimized increased, the more students complained of psychosomatic symptoms and manifested clinically significant social anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms. The tendency to bully others could be predicted by psychosomatic symptoms and mothers’ country of birth. Furthermore, compared to non bullies-non victims, victims were found to score higher on all anxiety measures. Implications of the results for bullying prevention and intervention are discussed.

(2014). Το όραμα του υπερανθρώπου και το μετανθρώπινο μέλλον: Σχεδιάσματα, επιτεύγματα, ουτοπίες Η ιδέα του υπερανθρώπου εμφανίζεται πρώτη φορά στο στοχασμό του Friedrich Nietzsche (Der Übermensch), ο οποίος υποστηρίζει πως ο άνθρωπος με μια ηρωϊκή προσπάθεια θέλησης και φαντασίας θα μπορούσε να ξεφύγει από την αθλιότητα και να δημιουργήσει ένα ανώτατο ον, τον υπεράνθρωπο. Ο Νιτσεϊκός υπεράνθρωπος, ωστόσο, ουδεμία σχέση έχει με τον σύγχρονο υπεράνθρωπο, καθώς ο πρώτος είναι ο ιεροφάντης μιας νέας προστακτικής ηθικής (Pearson, 2007), ενώ ο δεύτερος ένα αφύσικο κατασκεύασμα της τεχνολογίας, ένας Superman. Ένας τέτοιος άνθρωπος, όμως, υπερβαίνει τα φυσικά ανθρώπινα όρια. Το όραμά του φαντάζει ως μια τεχνοουτοπική φαντασίωση. Μπορεί, άραγε να γίνει αληθινό; Σε μια μεταβιομηχανική εποχή, πάντως, η δόξα θα ανήκει, πλέον, στην επανάσταση της βιοεπιστήμης που σημειώθηκε στις αρχές του αιώνα (Lawton, 2006). Επιμήκυνση της μακροβιότητας, διατήρηση της νεότητας, ενώ αρκετοί άνθρωποι έχουν υποστεί βιολογικές παρεμβάσεις και «αναβαθμίσεις» που τους προσφέρουν υπεράνθρωπες νοητικές ικανότητες ή σωματικές επιδόσεις. Ραγδαίες είναι, επίσης, και οι εξελίξεις στις συσκευές που διασυνδέονται με τον εγκέφαλο, ενισχύοντας τις λειτουργίες του με υπερφυσικές δυνάμεις (Sandel, 2011), και για την πλήρη κατανόηση του ανθρώπινου γονιδιώματος (Lewontin, 2000, 2002). Οι υπάρχουσες τεχνολογίες, ωστόσο, δεν αναπτύχθηκαν ειδικά για να επιτρέψουν στους υγιείς ανθρώπους να ξεπερνούν τα όριά τους, αλλά για να θεραπεύσουν ασθένειες, επιτελώντας κοινωνικό έργο. Διαθέτουν, επομένως, αρχικά την ηθική αποδοχή, και στο τέλος καταλήγουν να χρησιμοποιούνται από όποιον επιθυμεί να αποκτήσει πλεονέκτημα έναντι των άλλων (Lawton, 2006, Γογγάκη, 2013). Οι παραπάνω εξελίξεις αντιμετωπίζονται με δύο αντιμαχόμενες τάσεις. Οι υπέρμαχοι ή μετανθρωπιστές, όπως ο βιοηθικολόγος James Hughes (2014), προβλέπουν τη δημιουργία μιας «συλλογικής νοημοσύνης» (The Hive Mind) που συνδυάζει τη νοημοσύνη του ανθρώπινου είδους σε έναν τεχνολογικό εγκέφαλο (Estulin, 2009, 2014). Γενικά το φιλοσοφικό ρεύμα που συνδέεται με τους όρους posthumanism, metahumanism ή transhumanism υποστηρίζει την εξέλιξη του ανθρώπου μέσα από την επίδραση της γενετικής, της τεχνολογίας και των εμφυτευμάτων. Σύμφωνα με τη θεωρία του μετανθρωπισμού, ο συνήθης άνθρωπος αποτελεί απλά ένα «στάδιο ανάπτυξης» της συνολικής ανθρώπινης οντότητας. Οι αντίμαχοι αυτών των τεχνολογιών παρομοιάζουν ένα τέτοιο ενδεχόμενο με τον Brave New World του Aldous Huxley (1931), ένα μέλλον δηλαδή όπου οι κάτοικοι μέσω τεχνολογικών αναβαθμίσεων ζουν ζωές επίπεδες και άδειες, μέσα στην απόλυτη ομοιομορφία. Ο βιοηθικολόγος George Annas επισημαίνει ότι οι κίνδυνοι από τη γενετική τροποποίηση είναι ακόμη μεγαλύτεροι, ώστε θα ήταν καλύτερα να τεθεί από τώρα ένα τέλος σε όλη αυτή τη διαδικασία, προτείνοντας μια παγκόσμια συμφωνία που θα καθιστά τη γενετική τροποποίηση έγκλημα κατά της ανθρωπότητας. Το γενετικό μέλλον του ανθρώπινου είδους και η ανθρώπινη αναβάθμιση μπορεί να υπόσχονται την ελευθερία, ενδέχεται όμως να προκαλέσουν πρωτόγνωρες δυσκολίες (Fukuyama, 2002, Kuhse-Singer, 1999, Machery, 2008); Το κυριότερο ερώτημα, όμως, είναι: ως πού, θέλει να φτάσει ο άνθρωπος; Μήπως, θέλοντας να τα κατακτήσει όλα, είναι καταδικασμένος, τελικά σε μια σκλαβιά επιθυμιών, που μοιάζει με πιθάρι χωρίς πάτο; Η συζήτηση σχετικά με τις δυνατότητες των μελλοντικών τεχνολογιών είναι σε εξέλιξη. Οι μετανθρωπιστές αφαιρούν, ωστόσο, το ευρύτερο πλαίσιο, τον πολιτισμό, την εμπειρία και τα σώματα από το όραμά τους. Χωρίς, όμως, ευρύτερο πλαίσιο, πολιτισμό, εμπειρία και σώματα, τι απομένει στη συνείδηση; Στην πραγματικότητα η επιθυμία να ‘μεταφέρεις’ ή να κάνεις ‘μεταφορά μυαλού’ υλοποιείται συνεχώς από παραγωγικά ανθρώπινα όντα. Ίσως είναι καλύτερο να προσπαθεί κανείς να είναι παραγωγικός σ’ αυτή τη ζωή, παρά να ονειρεύεται ότι θα είναι παραγωγικός στην επόμενη ζωή.

Background: The plant genus Fallopia is well-known in Chinese traditional medicine and includes many species that contain bioactive compounds, namely phytoestrogens. Consumption of phytoestrogens may be linked to decreased incidence of breast and prostate cancers therefore discovery of novel phytoestrogens and novel sources of phytoestrogens is of interest. Although phytoestrogen content has been analyzed in the rhizomes of various Fallopia sp., seeds of a Fallopia sp. have never been examined for phytoestrogen presence.Methods: Analytical chemistry techniques were used with guidance from an in vitro estrogen receptor bioassay (a stably transfected human ovarian carcinoma cell line) to isolate and identify estrogenic components from seeds of Fallopia convolvulus. A transiently transfected human breast carcinoma cell line was used to characterize the biological activity of the isolated compounds on estrogen receptors (ER) α and β.Results: Two compounds, emodin and the novel flavan-3-ol, (-)-epiafzelechin-3-O-p-coumarate (rhodoeosein), were identified to be responsible for estrogenic activity of F. convolvulus seed extract. Absolute stereochemistry of rhodoeosein was determined by 1 and 2D NMR, optical rotation and circular dichroism. Emodin was identified by HPLC/DAD, LC/MS/MS, and FT/ICR-MS. When characterizing the ER specificity in biological activity of rhodoeosein and emodin, rhodoeosein was able to exhibit a four-fold greater relative estrogenic potency (REP) in breast cells transiently-transfected with ERβ as compared to those transfected with ERα, and emodin exhibited a six-fold greater REP in ERβ-transfected breast cells. Cell type-specific differences were observed with rhodoeosein but not emodin; rhodoeosein produced superinduction of reporter gene activity in the human ovarian cell line (> 400% of maximum estradiol [E2] induction) but not in the breast cell line.Conclusion: This study is the first to characterize the novel flavan-3-ol compound, rhodoeosein, and its ability to induce estrogenic activity in human cell lines. Rhodoeosein and emodin may have potential therapeutic applications as natural products activating ERβ, and further characterization of rhodoeosein is necessary to evaluate its selectivity as a cell type-specific ER agonist. © 2013 Brennan et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

In the collapsar model of long GRBs the jet is formed at the center of the progenitor star, propagates in its interior, and produces the observed gamma rays much after its breakout from the star. The loss of pressure support during breakout induces a strong rarefaction wave that propagates inside the jet and causes its bulk acceleration. This mechanism has been already studied using axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations assuming a prescribed shape for the surface between the jet and its environment, as well as using simple rarefaction waves in planar geometry. Trying to improve over these works, we solve the steady-state, axisymmetric, relativistic MHD equations using the method of characteristics. In this way the jet boundary is found self-consistently and the rarefaction wave is studied in the axisymmetric geometry. In this poster we present our first results and a comparison with previous works.

This article presents the results of a three year research conducted by the author based on an educational project which was implemented in a Greek Secondary school for two years (2009-11). ‘We organise a conference’ was a project that presented students with an open-ended key evaluative question which they were required to answer. It was based upon enquiry based learning and it used the methods and techniques of applied theatre. Over the school year students researched an issue through role play (related to the process of organizing and taking part in a conference), which led to improvements in their cognitive skills while at the same time gaining greater insight into the issue and their own attitudes and practices. This is the educational way of ‘making sense of’ and ‘giving meaning to’ an issue related to students’ lives. The author discusses the learning outcomes of the process and the educational importance and value of the method in the larger context of educational design. Empirical methods such as texts and by-products of the project, a research journal and semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and observation provided the basis for the hermeneutical analysis method which was used in the quantitative and qualitative survey, the findings and results of which are presented in the article.

The occurrence of non-fatal acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is examined in relation with the local bioclimatic conditions in the Ierapetra area, in the southernmost part of Crete Island, Greece, during the period 2004-2007. Daily ACS counts and corresponding meteorological parameters, such as maximum and minimum air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and cloudiness, were analyzed. Besides, the daily values of the human thermal index, physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) was evaluated. Pearson's 2 test and generalized linear models (GLM) with Poisson distribution were applied. The ACS syndromes present a multiple variation within the year, with the primary maximum in August and the secondary in May, while relative high ACS frequencies exist in early winter time. The impact of the weather variability on the ACS incidence is not statistically significant (C.L. 95%). © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Psoriasis has been lately seen as a potential systemic inflammatory disease associated with a range of co-morbidities exhibiting an overlapping pathology and presenting a great social health impact such as cardiovascular disease and metabolic diseases, including obesity. Adipose tissue is considered a genuine endocrine organ producing a variety of bioactive adipocytokines, such as leptin, adiponectin, resistin and visfatin, participating in physiological and pathological processes, such as energy balance, insulin sensitivity and resistance, immunity, inflammation, hematopoiesis and angiogenesis. Adipocytokines could serve as a missing link in the association between psoriasis, obesity and metabolic co-morbidities. In chronic inflammatory disease states such as psoriasis, adipocytokines may be implicated in psoriasis onset, progression, severity as well as in the pathogenesis of co-morbidities. Measuring serum adipocytokine levels in the future may be useful in predicting psoriasis severity, progression, treatment outcome and risk of any co-morbidities. Interventions to decrease pro-inflammatory adipocytokine levels could offer preventive and therapeutic options for improving psoriasis severity and protecting against its co-morbidities. Candidate strategic interventions incorporate increased physical activity, weight control and pharmacologic approaches such as metformin. However, the mechanisms underlying the actions of adipocytokines in psoriasis as well as their potential diagnostic, prognostic and/or therapeutic utility require further investigation with larger prospective, longitudinal and mechanistic studies.

The topic of this paper seems perhaps over-ambitious, touching as it does on several questions which have become serious theoretical issues over the last decades and some of them over several centuries. The controversy on the nature of grammatical categories has marked Philosophy and Linguistics throughout the twentieth century; the more modest controversy on aspect and its relationship to the disputed category Aktionsart, as well as its relationship to tense, has been dealt with in a vast amount of literature.This short paper cannot provide a definitive answer; it has the more modest aim of showing     a) that Greek aspect and Aktionsart form a continuum     b) that the two categories remain nevertheless distinctand thus hopefully contribute to the broader discussion on gradience, in particular intersective gradience, as defined by Aarts (2007).

A method to predict the gas permeability of supported ionic liquid membranes (SILMs) was established, using as input the pore structure characteristics of asymmetric ceramic membrane supports and the physicochemical properties of the bulk ionic liquid (IL) phase. The method was applied to investigate the effect of IL nanoconfinement on the CO2 and N 2 permeability/selectivity properties of novel SILMs developed on nanofiltration (NF) membranes employing for the first time the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium and the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tricyanomethanide ILs as pore modifiers. The selected ILs exhibit low viscosity, which allows for faster gas solvation rates and ease of synthesis/purification that makes them attractive for large-scale production. In parallel, the use of ceramic supports instead of polymeric ones presents the advantage of operation at elevated temperatures and pressures and offers the possibility to study the "real" permeability of the confined IL phase, avoiding additional contributions from the gas diffusion through the surrounding solid matrix. The developed SILMs exhibited enhanced CO2 permeability together with high CO2/N2 separation capacity, though with distinct variations depending on the alkyl chain length of the 1-alkyl-3- methylimidazolium cation. Application of the developed methodology allowed discriminating the contribution of the NF pore structural characteristics on the SILM performance and unveiled the subtle interplay of diverse IL confinement effects on the gas permeability stemming from the specific layering of ion pairs on the nanoporous surface and the phase transition of the IL at room temperature, dictated by small variations of the IL cation size. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

The number of patients with allergic diseases in Europe, and thus relevant demand for health care, is continuously increasing. In this EAACI-UEMS position paper, a rationale is given for the medical specialty of allergology. General practitioners and general paediatricians usually cannot elucidate and address all causative factors. Throughout Europe, therefore, the expertise of allergologists (allergists) is required. In collaboration with other medical professionals, they take care of allergic patients, in private practices or in specialized public centres. A well-structured collaboration between allergists and allergy centres offers the possibility of rapid signalling of new trends developing in the population of allergic patients (e.g. in food and drug allergy). Allergy centres also can perform clinical (and basic) research, teach medical students, future allergists and provide postgraduate training. To prevent that the quality of care in one or several countries within Europe lags behind developments in other countries, the UEMS Section and Board on Allergology together with the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology advocates the status of a full specialty of allergology in each European country, with a further intention to align their activities (blueprint, curriculum and centre visitation) with the UEMS Section of Paediatrics.

The seismic history of the centre of Athens may be revealed through the response of its classical andneo-classical columns to ambient noise and earthquake shaking. Detailed ambient vibration surveys in two casesare presented: a) the two choragic columns on the south slope of the Acropolis, above the Monument ofThrasyllos, constructed in the late classical-early Hellenistic era (3rd–1st century B.C.), with an original designand a high constructive quality (13 April – 10 May 2011) b) the statue of Apollo (mid-19th century), on the rightside of the Academy of Athens building prostyle, mounted on a column in the Ionian rhythm (5-13 March 2008).In the first (Acropolis) case, ambient noise measurements were performed with seven digital 3-componentseismographs at the top and the base of each column, as well as at three nearby reference sites. In addition,forced vibration tests at the top of each column were also conducted. In the second (Academy) case, fiveinstruments of the same type were installed at the base of the column, the base of the statue, with reference sitesat the two corners of the Academy building and the garden at the back side of the building. For both cases, the response spectra and amplitude ratios were computed, providing information on the soil-column interaction, as well as the characteristic frequencies of spectral ratios peaks.

OBJECTIVES: Time rate of blood pressure (BP) variation is a measure of the speed of BP fluctuations derived from a computerized analysis of ambulatory BP monitoring. The aim of this study was to identify pathophysiological differences in the time rate of BP variation between stroke subtypes, on the basis of the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment criteria, in the acute phase and to examine the impact of time rate of BP variation on outcome at 1 year after stroke. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of 109 first-ever stroke patients, who fulfilled our inclusion criteria, underwent 24 h ambulatory BP monitoring within 24 h after the onset of stroke. On the basis of the patients' Modified Rankin Scale score at 1 year after stroke, the study population was divided into two groups: patients with a positive (n=73) and those with a negative outcome (n=36). RESULTS: The 24-h rate of systolic BP variation is higher in patients with large artery atherosclerosis [0.692 mmHg/min; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.627-0.757] compared with those with lacunar strokes (0.609 mmHg/min; 95% CI 0.579-0.640) or strokes of unknown etiology (0.586 mmHg/min; 95% CI 0.522-0.649). Moreover, patients with higher 24-h rates of systolic BP variation were more likely to have a negative outcome at 1 year (odds ratio 1.96; 95% CI 1.16-3.32). Moreover, each 0.1 mmHg/min increase in the 24-h rate of SBP variation was associated with a 1.96-fold increase in the odds of a negative outcome (95% CI 1.16-3.32). CONCLUSION: Time rate of BP variation shows significant differences between stroke subtypes in the acute phase of the event, and it is associated with outcome at 1 year. Lowering the time rate of BP variation, in the acute phase, might lead to better outcomes in patients who have had a cerebrovascular incident. © 2013 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

The objective of this study is to compare and analyze satellite precipitation extremes of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission level 3 output (TRMM 3B42) over Mediterranean region against the respective high resolution gridded precipitation datasets (0.25. ×. 0.25) based on the E-OBS project, for the period 2000-2011.The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is a joint U.S.-Japan satellite mission to monitor tropical and subtropical precipitation and to estimate its associated latent heating. The E-OBS data set (a European daily high-resolution gridded dataset of surface temperature and precipitation) was developed as part of the European Union Framework 6 ENSEMBLES project, with the aim being to use it for validation of Regional Climate Models (RCMs) and for climate change studies.The indices used in the analysis can be divided in three categories: percentile, absolute and duration indices. The percentile indices concern: very wet days (the number of days with daily precipitation amount above the 95th percentile from the examined period) and extremely wet days (the number of days with daily precipitation amount above the 99th percentile from the examined period). The absolute threshold indices concern: number of heavy precipitation days (number of days with daily precipitation amount above 10. mm), number of very heavy precipitation days (number of days with daily precipitation amount above 20. mm) and simple daily intensity index (daily precipitation amount on wet days in a period per number of wet days in the period). The duration indices concern consecutive dry days (the largest number of consecutive days with daily precipitation amount below 1. mm) and consecutive wet days (the largest number of consecutive days with daily precipitation amount above 1. mm).The spatial distribution of the differences between the two datasets along with the spatial distribution of the correlation coefficients are presented and analyzed. Results show considerable regional differences of precipitation indices over the Mediterranean Region. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Ovarian Cancer represents the most fatal type of gynecological malignancies. A number of processes are involved in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer, especially within the tumor microenvironment. Angiogenesis represents a hallmark phenomenon in cancer, and it is responsible for tumor spread and metastasis in ovarian cancer, among other tumor types, as it leads to new blood vessel formation. In recent years angiogenesis has been given considerable attention in order to identify targets for developing effective anti-tumor therapies. Growth factors have been identified to play key roles in driving angiogenesis and, thus, the formation of new blood vessels that assist in "feeding" cancer. Such molecules include the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), the platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), the fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and the angiopoietin/Tie2 receptor complex. These proteins are key players in complex molecular pathways within the tumor cell and they have been in the spotlight of the development of anti-angiogenic molecules that may act as stand-alone therapeutics, or in concert with standard treatment regimes such as chemotherapy. The pathways involved in angiogenesis and molecules that have been developed in order to combat angiogenesis are described in this paper. © 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Background: Symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM) evolves from an asymptomatic precursor state termed monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering myeloma (SMM). Angiogenesis plays a key role in the pathogenesis of MM but there are very limited data for angiogenesis in SMM. Material/Methods: We measured the circulating levels of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and angiogenin in 54 patients with SMM. The results were compared with those of 27 MGUS patients, 55 MM patients, and 22 healthy controls. The expression of VEGF-A gene was also evaluated in 10 patients with SMM, 10 with symptomatic MM, and 10 with MGUS. Results: The ratio of circulating Ang-1/Ang-2 was reduced in MM patients with symptomatic disease due to a dramatic increase of Ang-2 (p<0.001), but not in patients with SMM or MGUS, in whom it did not differ compared to controls. VEGF and angiogenin were increased in all patients compared to controls. However, circulating VEGF was higher in symptomatic MM compared to SMM and MGUS, while angiogenin was reduced. There were no differences in the expression of VEGF-A among the 3 patients categories. Conclusions: SMM has a circulating angiogenic cytokine profile similar to that of MGUS, but has altered profile compared to symptomatic MM. Thus, in the progression of MGUS to SMM, circulating angiogenic cytokines seem to be the same. On the contrary, in symptomatic myeloma, the alterations of angiopoietins along with VEGF contribute to myeloma cell growth, supporting the target of these molecules for the development of novel anti-myeloma agents. © Med Sci Monit, 2013.

Innovative sol-gel synthesis based on the self-assembling template method has been applied to synthesize mesoporous anion-doped TiO2 with N-F, S and C atoms using suitable surfactants and reagents, to improve simultaneously the structural, morphological, and electronic properties of TiO2 nanomaterials and achieve anion doping of titania with high visible light photoinduced reactivity. The incorporation of anion species in the titania structure resulted in the effective extension of TiO2 optical absorption in the visible range through the formation of intragap energy states. The anion-doped titania materials immobilized in the form of nanostructured thin films on glass substrates exhibited high photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of the microcystin-LR (MC-LR) cyanotoxin, a hazardous water pollutant of emerging concern, under visible light irradiation. The development of these visible light-activated nanocatalysts has the potential of providing environmentally benign routes for water treatment. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Using first-principles methods we explore the anisotropy of the spin relaxation and transverse transport properties in bulk metals with respect to the real-space direction of the spin-quantization axis in paramagnets or of the spontaneous magnetization in ferromagnets. Owing to the presence of the spin-orbit coupling the orbital and spin character of the Bloch states depends sensitively on the orientation of the spins relative to the crystal axes. This leads to drastic changes in quantities which rely on interband mixing induced by the spin-orbit interaction. The anisotropy is particularly striking for quantities which exhibit spiky and irregular distributions in the Brillouin zone, such as the spin-mixing parameter or the Berry curvature of the electronic states. We demonstrate this for three cases: (i) the Elliott-Yafet spin-relaxation mechanism in paramagnets with structural inversion symmetry; (ii) the intrinsic anomalous Hall effect in ferromagnets; and (iii) the spin Hall effect in paramagnets. We discuss the consequences of the pronounced anisotropic behavior displayed by these properties for spin-polarized transport applications.

Self-assembled highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays were grown on Ti foils in NH4F ethylene glycol electrolyte under mild anodic oxidation conditions. The effect of annealing post-treatment on their structural properties was systematically investigated with respect to their electrical characteristics and photoelectrochemical performance in back-side illuminated dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). A variety of parameters was controlled and optimized including the annealing temperature, the heating rate and duration of the thermal treatment. The obtained results confirmed a correlation between the crystalline/structural properties of the TiO2 nanotubes and their electrical characteristics, thus revealing the close interplay of crystal size, grain boundaries and crystallite interconnectivity with the electron dynamics (transport/ recombination) governing the DSC operation and efficiency. The high importance of a barrier layer at the interface between the nanotubes and the Ti foil was also highlighted. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic steels are promising candidates for structural applications in future nuclear fusion power plants. Oxide dispersion strengthened ODS-Eurofer and Eurofer 97 steels were cold rolled to 80% reduction in thickness and annealed in vacuum for 1 h from 200 to 1350 degrees C to evaluate both their thermal stability and magnetic behavior. The microstructural changes were followed by magnetic measurements, in particular the corresponding variation of the coercive field (H-c), as a function of both annealing and tempering treatments. Results show that Y2O3 nanoparticles strongly affect the mechanical properties of ODS-Eurofer steel but leave their magnetic properties fairly unchanged when compared with Eurofer-97 steel. (C) 2012 Elsevier BM. All rights reserved.

The objective of the study was to determine the antimicrobial efficacy of three denture adhesives toward Streptococcus oralis, mutans, Prevotella oralis and Fusobacterium nucleatum. Adhesives used were Corega Ultra(®), Fixodent Pro Original(®) and Biotene(®) Denture Grip. For Streptococcus oralis and Streptococcus mutans, four tubes of Trypticase Soy Broth 10 mL and 1 g denture of adhesive were used. In addition four tubes of Trypticase Soy Broth 10 mL without any denture adhesive was employed as control. For Prevotella oralis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, four tubes of thioglycolate 10 mL and 1 g denture adhesive were used for each one, while four tubes of thioglycolate 10 mL without adhesive served as control. All samples were incubated for 48 h at 37°C. After 48 h, the number of colonies was counted and the mean was extracted as cfu/mL. The results were evaluated with ANOVA on ranked data and Tukey's post hoc test at α = 0.05. Streptococcus oralis, mutans, Prevotella oralis and Fusobacterium nucleatum showed decreased number of colonies for each denture adhesive compared to the control. Under the conditions of this in vitro study, all the tested denture adhesives showed antimicrobial efficacy. However, in contrast to the hypothesis, there were differences among them. Corega Ultra(®) and Biotene(®) Denture Grip were more effective for all the tested oral malodor-related microbes than Fixodent Pro Original(®).

The healthcare researchers', academics' and practitioners' interest concerning the development of Healthcare Information Systems has been on a steady rise for the last decades. Fueling this steady rise has been the healthcare professional need of quality information, in every healthcare provision incident, whenever and wherever this incident may take place. In order to address this need a truly mobile health care system is required, one that will be able to provide a healthcare provider with accurate patient-related information regardless of the time and place that healthcare is provided. In order to fulfill this role the present study proposes the architecture for a Healthcare Smartcard system, which provides authenticated healthcare professionals with remote mobile access to a Patient's Healthcare Record, through their Smartphone. Furthermore the research proceeds to develop a working prototype system.

Young stellar object observations suggest that some jets rotate in the opposite direction with respect to their disk. In a recent study, we have shown that this can be well in agreement with the magnetocentrifugal mechanism that is believed to launch such outflows. Here, we extend this analytical derivation to relativistic jets demonstrating that under rather general conditions counterrotation can indeed take place. We also illustrate the involved mechanism by performing relativistic magnetohydrodynamic jet simulations.

BACKGROUND: The behavioral and psychological symptoms associated with dementia (BPSD) can be burdensome to informal/family caregivers, negatively affecting mental health and expediting the institutionalization of patients. Because the dementia patient-caregiver relationship extends over long periods of time, it is useful to examine how BPSD impact caregiver depressive symptoms at varied stages of illness. The goal of this study was to assess the association of BPSD that occur during early stage dementia with subsequent caregiver depressive symptoms. METHODS: Patients were followed from the early stages of dementia every six months for up to 12 years or until death (n = 160). Caregiver symptoms were assessed on average 4.5 years following patient's early dementia behaviors. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) extension of the logistic regression model was used to determine the association between informal caregiver depressive symptoms and BPSD symptoms that occurred at the earliest stages dementia, including those persistent during the first year of dementia diagnosis. RESULTS: BPSD were common in early dementia. None of the individual symptoms observed during the first year of early stage dementia significantly impacted subsequent caregiver depressive symptoms. Only patient agitation/aggression was associated with subsequent caregiver depressive symptoms (OR = 1.76; 95% CI = 1.04-2.97) after controlling for concurrent BPSD, although not in fully adjusted models. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent agitation/aggression early in dementia diagnosis may be associated with subsequent depressive symptoms in caregivers. Future longitudinal analyses of the dementia caregiving relationship should continue to examine the negative impact of persistent agitation/aggression in the diagnosis of early stage dementia on caregivers.

Background:Data regarding the safety and effectiveness of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) as monotherapy or combined with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue in male breast cancer are scarce. Methods: In this retrospective chart review, cases of male breast cancer patients treated with AIs with or without a GnRH analogue were evaluated. Results: Twenty-three men were included into this case series. Aromatase inhibitors in combination with or without a GnRH analogue were given as first-line therapy in 60.9% and as second-line therapy in 39.1% of patients, respectively. All patients had visceral metastases, whereas in five of them bone lesions coexisted. In all cases AIs were tolerated well, and no case of grade 3 and 4 adverse events was reported. A partial response was observed in 26.1% of patients and stable disease in 56.5%. Median overall survival (OS) was 39 months and median progression-free survival (PFS) was 13 months. Regarding OS and PFS, no significant effects of GnRH analogue co-administration or type of AI were noted.Conclusion:Our study shows that AIs with or without GnRH analogues may represent an effective and safe treatment option for hormone-receptor positive, pretreated, metastatic, male breast cancer patients. © 2013 Cancer Research UK. All rights reserved.

We investigated the role of all arrestin-like proteins of Aspergillus nidulans in respect to growth, morphology, sensitivity to drugs and specifically for the endocytosis and turnover of the uric acid-xanthine transporter UapA. A single arrestin-like protein, ArtA, is essential for HulA(Rsp) (5) -dependent ubiquitination and endocytosis of UapA in response to ammonium or substrates. Mutational analysis showed that residues 545-563 of the UapA C-terminal region are required for efficient UapA endocytosis, whereas the N-terminal region (residues 2-123) and both PPxY motives are essential for ArtA function. We further show that ArtA undergoes HulA-dependent ubiquitination at residue Lys-343 and that this modification is critical for UapA ubiquitination and endocytosis. Lastly, we show that ArtA is essential for vacuolar turnover of transporters specific for purines (AzgA) or l-proline (PrnB), but not for an aspartate/glutamate transporter (AgtA). Our results are discussed within the frame of recently proposed mechanisms on how arrestin-like proteins are activated and recruited for ubiquitination of transporters in response to broad range signals, but also put the basis for understanding how arrestin-like proteins, such as ArtA, regulate the turnover of a specific transporter in the presence of its substrates.

Objective: The metabolic dysfunction accompanying the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may increase the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although menopause per se may be an additional risk factor of CVD, the association between PCOS in postmenopausal women and cardiovascular risk has not been adequately investigated. We aimed to evaluate the effect of PCOS on markers of subclinical atherosclerosis in nondiabetic postmenopausal women. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 286 postmenopausal women with intact ovaries. PCOS phenotype was defined if three of the following were present: insulin resistance, current hyperandrogenism or history of clinical androgen excess, history of infertility, central obesity and history of irregular menses. Traditional CVD risk factors, as well as indices of arterial structure (intima - media thickness, atheromatous plaques presence) and function [flow-mediated dilation, pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index] were compared between women with a PCOS phenotype and the rest of the sample, who served as controls. Results: Women with the PCOS phenotype (N=43) had higher SBP and triglycerides and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol than controls. Mean values of PWV differed significantly between PCOS cases and controls (9.46±1.74 vs. 8.60±1.51 m/s, P=0.001, univariate). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the PCOS phenotype, age and SBP were the only independent predictors of PWV. Conclusion: Arterial stiffness is increased in asymptomatic, nondiabetic women with a putative PCOS phenotype, independently of age, BMI or blood pressure. This might present one mechanism through which PCOS increases the risk of CVD and hypertension later in life. © 2013 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

It is disputed whether recurrent episodes of wheeze in preschool-aged children comprise a distinct asthma phenotype.|We sought to prospectively assess airflow limitation and airway inflammation in children 4 to 6 years old with episodic virus-induced wheeze.|Ninety-three children 4 to 6 years old with a history of mild, virus-induced episodes of wheeze who were able to perform acceptable fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (Feno) maneuvers and spirometry (with forced expiratory time ≥0.5 seconds) were followed prospectively. Lung function and Feno values were measured every 6 weeks (baseline) within the first 48 hours of an acute wheezing episode (day 0) and 10 and 30 days later. Symptom scores and peak flow measurement were recorded daily.|Forty-three children experienced a wheezing episode. At day 0, Feno values were significantly increased, whereas forced expiratory volume at 0.5 seconds (FEV(0.5)) significantly decreased compared with baseline (16 ppb [interquartile range {IQR}, 13-20 ppb] vs 9 ppb IQR, 7-11 ppb] and 0.84 L [IQR, 0.75-0.99 L] vs 0.99 L [IQR, 0.9-1.07 L], respectively; both P < .001). Airflow limitation at day 0 was reversible after bronchodilation. FEV(0.5) and Feno values were significantly associated with each other and with lower and upper respiratory tract symptoms when assessed longitudinally but not cross-sectionally at all time points independently of atopy. Feno and FEV(0.5) values returned to baseline levels within 10 days.|Mild episodes of wheeze in preschoolers are characterized by enhanced airway inflammation, reversible airflow limitation, and asthma-related symptoms. Feno values increase significantly during the first 48 hours and return to personal baseline within 10 days from the initiation of the episode. Longitudinal follow-up suggests that symptoms, inflammation, and lung function correlate well in this phenotype of asthma.

The present study examines nitrate contamination and groundwater quality in the Megara basin of Attica Prefecture (Greece). Hydrochemical data were assessed using descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis to (1) classify the data into hydrochemically similar groups, and (2) to investigate geochemical and human-related factors responsible for the observed groundwater quality. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to incorporate both thematic (landuse) data and groundwater chemistry to study the extent and variation of nitrate contamination and to establish spatial relationships with specific landuse types. The results indicate that more than 70% of the groundwater samples located around the national highway had nitrate concentrations that exceeded acceptable levels according to international legislation and guidelines (Directive 98/83/EC, EPA, WHO). The combined spatial analysis and statistical hydrochemical evaluation show that nitrate contamination in groundwater is closely associated with specific landuse classes and activities (e.g. agriculture, pasture, industries, urban effluents).

BACKGROUND: The influence of atrial septal occluders in left atrial (LA) function after percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) has not been thoroughly studied. METHODS: Twenty-five patients (mean age 40.7 ± 12 years) undergoing percutaneous PFO closure were enrolled in this study. Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) was performed 3 and 6 months before the procedure. Volumetric indices (active emptying fraction: LA AEF, expansion index: LA EI, and passive emptying fraction: LA PEF), strain and strain rate (SR), were calculated during the contractile, reservoir, and conduit LA phases for the lateral, anterior, and inferior LA walls with TTE. RESULTS: After 3 months, a decrease in the SR of the LA anterior wall was observed (from 2.12 ± 0.22 to 1.66 ± 0.26, P < 0.045), while the LA lateral wall strain was found to be increased (from 0.708 ± 0.15 to 0.783 ± 0.159, P < 0.001). Moreover, simultaneously LA AEF was greater compared with baseline (from 31.0 ± 1.6 to 34.0 ± 1.6, P < 0.004). However, all these alterations reversed at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Segmental LA function is altered transiently after percutaneous PFO closure with a septal occlude. The LA anterior wall SR decreases, while the lateral wall strain increases. The impact of these alterations needs further clarification.

The surface ozone is a pollutant of major concern due to its impact on receptors, at currently occurring ambient levels in many regions of the world. The aim of this work is to present the results derived from an analysis of hourly surface ozone concentrations, measured at the urban station of Volos, a coastal medium-sized city at the eastern seaboard of Central Greece, during the 8-year period 2001-2008. The regional climate that is characterized by hot and dry summers with intense sunshine plays an important role in the observed exceedances of the air quality ozone limits. The analysis showed that, ozone diurnal patterns depict daytime photochemical ozone built up, during the sunlight hours of the day. It is remarkable that the maximum daily 8-h averages often exceeded the standard value that is assigned by the EU Directive for human health protection, during almost the warm period of the year, mainly at noon and afternoon hours. © 2013 Global NEST Printed in Greece. All rights reserved.

The International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) biomedical informatics educational recommendations of 2010 provided an excellent guide for institutions across the world in updating their curricula or establishing new programs. IMIA subsequently decided to offer an accreditation process, guided by the earlier recommendations, to assess existing educational programs in the field of biomedical informatics. This paper presents an overview and SWOT analysis of the accreditation process based on a two-year trial period at three sites across continents. Because other sites are now requesting similar accreditation visits by IMIA, the lessons learned by the committee that performed the assessments during trial period will provide useful guidance for both IMIA and those educational institutions.

This study investigates the contagion effects of the 2007-2009 global financial crisis across multiple asset markets and different regions. It uses daily return data of six asset classes: stocks, bonds, commodities, shipping, foreign exchange and real estate. A robust analysis of financial contagion is provided by estimating and comparing asymmetric conditional correlations among asset markets during stable and turmoil periods. Results provide evidence on the existence of a correlated-information channel as a contagion mechanism among the U.S. stocks, real estate, commodities and emerging Brazilian bond index. The findings also support the decoupling of BRIC equity markets from the crisis, the diversification benefits of shipping and foreign exchange value of the U.S. dollar indices, and the existence of a flight to quality mechanism from risky U.S. assets to German bonds. This evidence has important implications for portfolio diversification strategies and the future work of policymakers.

Introduction: Autotaxin (ATX) is a lysophospholipase D enzyme that hydrolyzes lysophosphatidylcholine to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and choline. LPA is a bioactive lipid mediator that activates several transduction pathways, and is involved in migration, proliferation and survival of various cells. Thus, ATX is an attractive medicinal target. Areas covered: The aim of this review is to summarize ATX inhibitors, reported in patents from 2006 up to now, describing their discovery and biological evaluation. Expert opinion: ATX has been implicated in various pathological conditions, such as cancer, chronic inflammation, neuropathic pain, fibrotic diseases, etc. Although there is an intensive effort on the discovery of potent and selective ATX inhibitors in order to identify novel medicinal agents, up to now, no ATX inhibitor has reached clinical trials. However, the use of ATX inhibitors seems an attractive strategy for the development of novel medicinal agents, for example anticancer therapeutics.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an emerging technology used to treat high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. During TAVI with the CoreValve ReValving System, a balloon is used for the reduction of paravalvular regurgitation. However, in this paper, we describe the "balloon withdrawal" technique through which the positioning of a second valve can be avoided in case of initial malpositioning. The result of the technique was rather encouraging, and minimal paravalvular aortic regurgitation was recorded after echocardiographic assessment.

The purpose of the study was to compare bilateral deficit in jumping (i.e. when the sum of left and right leg jump height is greater than the two-leg jump) between pre-pubertal boys and girls. One hundred and seventy two children (83 boys and 89 girls between) were divided into two groups (10 and 12 years old) and performed oneleg and two-leg counter movement jumps without arm swing on a contact mat. The bilateral jump deficit index was calculated as: 1-(right+left leg jump height)/two-leg jump height x 100. Peak leg power output during jumping was also calculated and was scaled with body mass. Jump height and relative leg peak power were similar in boys and girls of both age groups. However, the bilateral jump deficit index was always greater and positive in boys compared with girls, indicating that the two-legged jump performance was better than the sum of right and left leg jumps. This difference between boys and girls remained even when training history was taken into account (trained vs. untrained children), indicating that it is independent of training status. Also, when differences in bilateral deficit were examined with analysis of covariance, with maturity offset (an index of biological maturation) as the covariate, boys still had greater values than girls (12.9±2.0 vs. -1.6±2.3%, p<0.01). In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that the there was no bilateral deficit for vertical jumping for boys at this age range. In contrast, girls had a bilateral index that was close to zero, indicating equal two-leg and sum of two legs jumps. These differences between boys and girls may be explained by a reduced ability to activate motor units during pre-puberty and/or superior motor skill ability (i.e. balance on one leg and jump) of girls over boys at that age. © JPES.

The purpose of the study was to compare bilateral deficit in jumping (i.e. when the sum of left and right leg jump height is greater than the two-leg jump) between pre-pubertal boys and girls. One hundred and seventy two children (83 boys and 89 girls between) were divided into two groups (10 and 12 years old) and performed oneleg and two-leg counter movement jumps without arm swing on a contact mat. The bilateral jump deficit index was calculated as: 1-(right+left leg jump height)/two-leg jump height x 100. Peak leg power output during jumping was also calculated and was scaled with body mass. Jump height and relative leg peak power were similar in boys and girls of both age groups. However, the bilateral jump deficit index was always greater and positive in boys compared with girls, indicating that the two-legged jump performance was better than the sum of right and left leg jumps. This difference between boys and girls remained even when training history was taken into account (trained vs. untrained children), indicating that it is independent of training status. Also, when differences in bilateral deficit were examined with analysis of covariance, with maturity offset (an index of biological maturation) as the covariate, boys still had greater values than girls (12.9±2.0 vs. -1.6±2.3%, p<0.01). In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that the there was no bilateral deficit for vertical jumping for boys at this age range. In contrast, girls had a bilateral index that was close to zero, indicating equal two-leg and sum of two legs jumps. These differences between boys and girls may be explained by a reduced ability to activate motor units during pre-puberty and/or superior motor skill ability (i.e. balance on one leg and jump) of girls over boys at that age. © JPES.

The purpose of the study was to compare bilateral deficit in jumping (i.e. when the sum of left and right leg jump height is greater than the two-leg jump) between pre-pubertal boys and girls. One hundred and seventy two children (83 boys and 89 girls between) were divided into two groups (10 and 12 years old) and performed oneleg and two-leg counter movement jumps without arm swing on a contact mat. The bilateral jump deficit index was calculated as: 1-(right+left leg jump height)/two-leg jump height x 100. Peak leg power output during jumping was also calculated and was scaled with body mass. Jump height and relative leg peak power were similar in boys and girls of both age groups. However, the bilateral jump deficit index was always greater and positive in boys compared with girls, indicating that the two-legged jump performance was better than the sum of right and left leg jumps. This difference between boys and girls remained even when training history was taken into account (trained vs. untrained children), indicating that it is independent of training status. Also, when differences in bilateral deficit were examined with analysis of covariance, with maturity offset (an index of biological maturation) as the covariate, boys still had greater values than girls (12.9±2.0 vs. -1.6±2.3%, p<0.01). In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that the there was no bilateral deficit for vertical jumping for boys at this age range. In contrast, girls had a bilateral index that was close to zero, indicating equal two-leg and sum of two legs jumps. These differences between boys and girls may be explained by a reduced ability to activate motor units during pre-puberty and/or superior motor skill ability (i.e. balance on one leg and jump) of girls over boys at that age. © JPES.

The novel bimetallic bis(pentalene) complex Ti2(μ:η5,η5-Pn†)2 (Pn† = C8H4(SiiPr3-1,4)2) has been synthesised and structurally characterised. Structural data show a Ti-Ti distance of 2.399(2) å, consistent with a strong metal-metal interaction, which DFT calculations best describe as a double bond with σ and π components. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate breast cancer characteristics in women aged 25 years and younger. METHODS: This was a retrospective, nested, within-cases matched study. The study design was based on a two-phase protocol. In the first phase, stage, grade, histologic subtype, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status were compared between 28 patients (aged 25 years and younger) and 685 older premenopausal women (aged older than 25 years) with breast cancer. The second phase aimed to determine whether young patients exhibited worse prognosis when compared with older premenopausal women. RESULTS: Young patients presented at a more advanced stage (P=.012) and exhibited a higher grade (P=.018). No significant differences were noted regarding histologic subtype, estrogen receptor, and progesterone receptor status. Genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations was performed in 12 of 28 young patients and mutations were found in 25% of them. Moreover, young women presented poorer overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] 4.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-17.03) than their older counterparts, matched by histologic subtype, stage, and grade; a similar pattern was noted regarding relapse-free survival (HR 8.28, 95% CI 2.24-30.60). CONCLUSION: Breast cancer diagnosis in women aged 25 years and younger is uncommon; however, these patients present at a more advanced stage, with a higher grade, and exhibit poorer survival. © 2013 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

A subset of ultraluminous X-ray sources (those with luminosities of less than 1040 erg s-1 ref. 1) are thought to be powered by the accretion of gas onto black holes with masses of ~5-20, probably by means of an accretion disk. The X-ray and radio emission are coupled in such Galactic sources; the radio emission originates in a relativistic jet thought to be launched from the innermost regions near the black hole, with the most powerful emission occurring when the rate of infalling matter approaches a theoretical maximum (the Eddington limit). Only four such maximal sources are known in the Milky Way, and the absorption of soft X-rays in the interstellar medium hinders the determination of the causal sequence of events that leads to the ejection of the jet. Here we report radio and X-ray observations of a bright new X-ray source in the nearby galaxy M 31, whose peak luminosity exceeded 1039 erg s-1. The radio luminosity is extremely high and shows variability on a timescale of tens of minutes, arguing that the source is highly compact and powered by accretion close to the Eddington limit onto a black hole of stellar mass. Continued radio and X-ray monitoring of such sources should reveal the causal relationship between the accretion flow and the powerful jet emission.

Valid risk stratification for carotid atherosclerotic plaques represents a crucial public health issue toward preventing fatal cerebrovascular events. Although motion analysis (MA) provides useful information about arterial wall dynamics, the identification of motion-based risk markers remains a significant challenge. Considering that the ability of a motion estimator (ME) to handle changes in the appearance of motion targets has a major effect on accuracy in MA, we investigated the potential of adaptive block matching (ABM) MEs, which consider changes in image intensities over time. To assure the validity in MA, we optimized and evaluated the ABM MEs in the context of a specially designed in silico framework. ABM(FIRF2), which takes advantage of the periodicity characterizing the arterial wall motion, was the most effective ABM algorithm, yielding a 47% accuracy increase with respect to the conventional block matching. The in vivo application of ABM(FIRF2) revealed five potential risk markers: low movement amplitude of the normal part of the wall adjacent to the plaques in the radial (RMA(PWL)) and longitudinal (LMA(PWL)) directions, high radial motion amplitude of the plaque top surface (RMA(PTS)), and high relative movement, expressed in terms of radial strain (RSI(PL)) and longitudinal shear strain (LSSI(PL)), between plaque top and bottom surfaces. The in vivo results were reproduced by OF(LK(WLS)) and ABM(KF-K2), MEs previously proposed by the authors and with remarkable in silico performances, thereby reinforcing the clinical values of the markers and the potential of those MEs. Future in vivo studies will elucidate with confidence the full potential of the markers.

AIM: To present the 18 year survival and the clinical and radiological outcomes of the Müller straight stem, cemented, total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: Between 1989 and 2007, 176 primary total hip arthroplasties in 164 consecutive patients were performed in our institution by the senior author. All patients received a Müller cemented straight stem and a cemented polyethylene liner. The mean age of the patients was 62 years (45-78). The diagnosis was primary osteoarthritis in 151 hips, dysplasia of the hip in 12 and subcapital fracture of the femur in 13. Following discharge, serial follow-up consisted of clinical evaluation based on the Harris Hip Score and radiological assessment. The survival of the prosthesis using revision for any reason as an end-point was calculated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-four (15%) patients died during the follow-up study, 6 (4%) patients were lost, while the remaining 134 patients (141 hips) were followed-up for a mean of 10 years (3-18 years). HSS score at the latest follow-up revealed that 84 hips (59.5%) had excellent results, 30 (22.2%) good, 11 (7.8%) fair and 9 (6.3%) poor. There were 3 acetabular revisions due to aseptic loosening. Six (4.2%) stems were diagnosed as having radiographic definitive loosening; however, only 1 was revised. 30% of the surviving stems showed no radiological changes of radiolucency, while 70% showed some changes. Survival of the prosthesis for any reason was 96% at 10 years and 81% at 18 years. CONCLUSION: The 18 year survival of the Müller straight stem, cemented THA is comparable to those of other successful cemented systems.

PURPOSE: We present a study comparing the insertion of central vascular catheter (CVC) and peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) by an anesthesia nurse at 2 Greek University Hospitals. METHODS: Eighty patients, aged 20-80 years, were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into 2 groups. In group A (41 patients), a CVC was inserted in the internal jugular vein. In group B (39 patients), a pressure-injectable PICC was inserted in the basilica vein. RESULTS: Correlations between the methods applied, the patients' characteristics, the procedures' characteristics and the overall satisfaction scores for each procedure were examined. The final results show that the patients of group B (PICC method) were more satisfied with the procedure than the patients of group A (CVC method), at the statistical significance level of a=0.01. Also, according to the results of the analysis, the PICC method offers significantly more comfort and relative satisfaction than the CVC method, at the statistical significance level of a=0.01. The satisfaction scores of "physicians" were statistically more significant, at a=0.01, for the patients of group A (classic CVCs) mainly because of the insufficient flow rate of the PICCs when compared with the CVCs and especially if one considers the fact that the physicians did not have any experience with the PICC method at all. CONCLUSIONS: PICCs under ultrasound guidance constitute the solution of choice for patients and they definitely surpass the CVCs focusing mainly on the improvement of the quality of life and the satisfaction of patients.

Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is defined as breast cancer occurring anytime during gestation, lactation or within one year after delivery. The optimal management of pregnant women with breast cancer is challenging and not well established; the main concern is the effect of the drugs on the developing fetus and long-term complications after in utero exposure to anti-cancer drugs. Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment for early breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy. Modified radical mastectomy is standard of care in first trimester, whereas breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy with lymph node dissection) can be performed preferably in the second and third trimester. Of note, breast-conserving surgery is not contraindicated per se during the first trimester, but owing to the potential impact of delaying radiotherapy. Radiation therapy is not favored during pregnancy. Moreover, tamoxifen is contraindicated during pregnancy; the agent has been associated with birth defects in up to 20% of exposures. Chemotherapy is generally contraindicated during the first trimester because of the possible damage to organogenesis. Anthracyclines-based regimens are the most widely used is breast cancer treatment and were been shown to be associated with favourable safety profile when administered during pregnancy. As for taxanes, more limited data is available. The use of trastuzumab is contraindicated during pregnancy, given the apparent risk of oligo- and/or anhydramnios as well as the unknown long-term sequelae on the fetus. It is obvious that, diagnosis of breast cancer during pregnancy adds complexity to cancer treatment recommendations. In all cases, a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach among obstetricians, gynaecologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, pediatricians and hematologists is clearly warranted © Pioneer Bioscience Publishing Company.

Objectives: A high body mass index (BMI) in middle-age or a decrease in BMI at late-age has been considered a predictor for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, little is known about the BMI change close to or after AD onset. Methods: BMI of participants from three cohorts, the Washington Heights and Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP; population-based) and the Predictors Study (clinic-based), and National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC; clinic-based) were analyzed longitudinally. We used generalized estimating equations to test whether there were significant changes of BMI over time, adjusting for age, sex, education, race, and research center. Stratification analyses were run to determine whether BMI changes depended on baseline BMI status. Results: BMI declined over time up to AD clinical onset, with an annual decrease of 0.21 (p=0.02) in WHICAP and 0.18 (p=0.04) kg/m2 in NACC. After clinical onset of AD, there was no significant decrease of BMI. BMI even increased (b=0.11, p=0.004) among prevalent AD participants in NACC. During the prodromal period, BMI decreased over time in overweight(BMI ≥25 and <30) WHICAP participants or obese (BMI≥30)NACC participants. After AD onset, BMI tended to increase in underweight/normal weight (BMI<25) patients and decrease in obese patients in all three cohorts, although the results were significant in NACC study only. Conclusions: Our study suggests that while BMI declines before the clinical AD onset, it levels off after clinical AD onset, and might even increase in prevalent AD. The pattern of BMI change may also depend on the initial BMI.

Ongoing studies suggest an important role for iPLA2β in a multitude of biological processes and it has been implicated in neurodegenerative, skeletal and vascular smooth muscle disorders, bone formation, and cardiac arrhythmias. Thus, identifying an iPLA2β inhibitor that can be reliably and safely used in vivo is warranted. Currently, the mechanism-based inhibitor bromoenol lactone (BEL) is the most widely used to discern the role of iPLA2β in biological processes. While BEL is recognized as a more potent inhibitor of iPLA2 than of cPLA2 or sPLA2, leading to its designation as a “specific” inhibitor of iPLA2, it has been shown to also inhibit non-PLA2 enzymes. A potential complication of its use is that while the S and R enantiomers of BEL exhibit preference for cytosol-associated iPLA2β and membrane-associated iPLA2γ, respectively, the selectivity is only 10-fold for both. In addition, BEL is unstable in solution, promotes irreversible inhibition, and may be cytotoxic, making BEL not amenable for in vivo use. Recently, a fluoroketone (FK)-based compound (FKGK18) was described as a potent inhibitor of iPLA2β. Here we characterized its inhibitory profile in beta-cells and find that FKGK18: (a) inhibits iPLA2β with a greater potency (100-fold) than iPLA2γ, (b) inhibition of iPLA2β is reversible, (c) is an ineffective inhibitor of α-chymotrypsin, and (d) inhibits previously described outcomes of iPLA2β activation including (i) glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, (ii) arachidonic acid hydrolysis; as reflected by PGE2 release from human islets, (iii) ER stress-induced neutral sphingomyelinase 2 expression, and (iv) ER stress-induced beta-cell apoptosis. These findings suggest that FKGK18 is similar to BEL in its ability to inhibit iPLA2β. Because, in contrast to BEL, it is reversible and not a non-specific inhibitor of proteases, it is suggested that FKGK18 is more ideal for ex vivo and in vivo assessments of iPLA2β role in biological functions.

Objectives: The estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in multiple myeloma (MM) is based on equations that use serum creatinine (sCr), such as the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation. However, the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) group has suggested that eGFR based on both sCr and cystatin C (CKD-EPI-sCr-CysC) is more accurate than other formulae for the estimation of kidney dysfunction. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate, for the first time in the literature, the CKD-EPI-sCR-CysC formula in newly diagnosed patients with symptomatic MM. Methods: We studied 220 newly diagnosed, previously untreated, patients with symptomatic myeloma and calculated eGFR using the MDRD, the CKD-EPI-sCR, the CKD-EPI-CysC, and the CKD-EPI-sCr-CysC equations. Results: CKD-EPI-sCr-CysC equation detected more myeloma patients with stage 3-5 renal impairment than the MDRD, CKD-EPI, or CKD-EPI-CysC equations: 45% vs. 39.5%, 42.2%, and 43.1%, respectively (P < 0.01). This was also observed in the elderly patients (>70 yrs), while in patients ≤70 yrs, the CKD-EPI-CysC equation managed to identify higher number of patients with stage 3-5 renal impairment (RI) than the other equations. Furthermore, 63 (28.6%) patients with eGFR values by the MDRD formula were reclassified to higher CKD stages according to CKD-EPI-CysC equation. The median overall survival for all patients was 52 months. In the multivariate analysis, that included International Staging System stage, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) ≥300 U/L and eGFR for each different equation (as a continuous variable), only eGFR that included CysC, but not sCr had independent prognostic value (P = 0.013) along with high LDH (P = 0.029). Conclusions: Our results suggest that equations based on CysC reveal higher number of MM patients with RI compared with equations based only in sCr. Furthermore, the CKD-EPI-CysC formula independently predicted for survival. Based on these data, we suggest that CKD-EPI equations based on CysC should substitute MDRD, as it has been suggested for patients with several other renal disorders. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Angiogenesis is involved in several diseases, including hematological malignancies and solid tumors as an essential step of disease progression. In Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) the bone marrow microvessel density is increased in 30%-40% of patients with symptomatic disease, but not in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance of IgM type (IgM-MGUS) and in patients with asymptomatic WM. The serum levels of angiogenic cytokines such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF-A, basic fibroblast growth factor, angiogenin and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) are markedly elevated in WM patients, while Ang-1 levels and the corresponding Ang-1 to Ang-2 ratio are significantly decreased, indicating an angiogenic shift. Circulating angiogenin and angiopoietin-1/angiopoietin-2 ratio correlate with disease activity and clinical features of WM. Ang-2 may also have a prognostic significance for WM patients as high levels of Ang-2 were found to be associated with significantly shorter progression-free survival. The chemokine C-C motif ligand 3 (CCL3) is a chemo-attractant for macrophages and mast-cells and was found to be elevated in the serum of patients with WM. CCL3 is produced by WM cells and correlates with inferior overall survival. In turn, activated inflammatory cells synthesize angiogenic regulators and modulate angiogenesis. This paper summarizes all available data for the role of angiogenic cytokines and supporting cells in the biology of WM and their correlation with clinical and laboratory features of the disease. © 2013 Bentham Science Publishers.

We review the first results of a dedicated, on-going monitoring project for supersoft X-ray source (SSS) states of classical novae (CNe) in the central region of the Andromeda galaxy (M 31). So far, during three high-cadence observation campaigns with the X-ray telescopes XMM-Newton and Chandra from 2006 until 2009 we detected 21 CNe, only four of which were seen in X-rays before. This increased the total number of known CNe with X-ray counterparts in M 31 to 60, which is significantly larger than for any other galaxy, including the Milky Way. We compiled a catalog of X-ray and optical properties for these 60 sources which allowed us to perform source statistics and population studies of CNe with SSS state in M 31 for the first time. Here we review the results of this analysis: (i) several correlations between X-ray and optical parameters, (ii) an analysis of the intrinsic fraction of CNe with SSS state, and (iii) the first nova population study in X-rays. Our first results are promising, however a continuing monitoring of the unique target M 31 is strongly needed to extend this valuable data base and to refine the early statements and predictions.

Recent changes of the thermohaline circulation in the Eastern Mediterranean (i.e. the Eastern Mediterranean Transient) and older observations of the thermohaline structure of the Aegean-Levantine region (with events of dramatic changes of deep water characteristics) reveal the very sensitive character of the regional thermohaline circulation pattern. This and the long term variability of seawater characteristics in various Mediterranean basins show that the deep water mass formation processes in the region can be greatly affected by climate variability and the characteristics of the extreme atmospheric forcing events. Theoretical work and modeling experiments point out the effectiveness of extreme events and periods of abnormal atmospheric conditions to produce deep waters of different characteristics and different equilibrium depth. Studying the mechanisms involved in the air-sea interaction under extreme event conditions, with available observations and modeling techniques, and monitoring important sites of water mass formation becomes very important for understanding the regional dynamics of the water cycle and their effect on the climate of the whole Mediterranean Sea region.

Lenalidomide has significant antimyeloma activity but it is associated with a significant risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). In this study, we assessed clinical and genetic risk factors that may predispose for VTE in myeloma patients who were treated with lenalidomide-based regimens. We analyzed common clinical and selected genetic factors in 200 consecutive, unselected myeloma patients who were treated with lenalidomide-based regimens in a single institution. Twelve patients (6%) developed a VTE (nine deep venous thrombosis and three pulmonary embolism). All VTEs occurred in patients who were receiving aspirin prophylaxis; no patient who received LMWH or acenocoumarol had a VTE. The frequency of VTEs was 9.4% in previously untreated and 4.5% in previously treated patients. VTEs were more frequent in patients >65 years (8.1% vs. 1.6%) especially among patients receiving aspirin as prophylaxis (10.4% vs. 1.8% for patients ≤65 years). In patients who received prophylaxis with low dose aspirin a single-nucleotide polymorphism in NFκB1 (rs3774968) gene was associated with increased risk of VTE (OR 3.76, 95%CI 1-16, P=0.051). None of the patients who developed VTEs had common genetic variations that are associated with increased risk of VTEs in the general population, such as FVLeiden and FIIG20210A. Our data indicated that LMWH or vitamin K antagonists (with a target INR 2-3) effectively reduce the risk of VTEs. In patients who received prophylaxis with aspirin genetic variants of genes that are involved directly or indirectly in inflammatory response may be associated with increased risk of VTE. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The phenotype and function of cells enriched in tumor-propagating activity and their relationship to the phenotypic architecture in multiple myeloma (MM) are controversial. Here, in a cohort of 30 patients, we show that MM composes 4 hierarchically organized, clonally related subpopulations, which, although phenotypically distinct, share the same oncogenic chromosomal abnormalities as well as immunoglobulin heavy chain complementarity region 3 area sequence. Assessed in xenograft assays, myeloma-propagating activity is the exclusive property of a population characterized by its ability for bidirectional transition between the dominant CD19-CD138+ plasma cell (PC) and a low frequency CD19-CD138- subpopulation (termed Pre-PC); in addition, Pre-PCs are more quiescent and unlike PCs, are primarily localized at extramedullary sites. As shown by gene expression profiling, compared with PCs, Pre-PCs are enriched in epigenetic regulators, suggesting that epigenetic plasticity underpins the phenotypic diversification of myeloma-propagating cells. Prospective assessment in paired, pretreatment, and posttreatment bone marrow samples shows that Pre-PCs are up to 300-fold more drug-resistant than PCs. Thus, clinical drug resistance in MM is linked to reversible, bidirectional phenotypic transition of myeloma-propagating cells. These novel biologic insights have important clinical implications in relation to assessment of minimal residual disease and development of alternative therapeutic strategies in MM. © 2013 by The American Society of Hematology.

In this paper we present a combination of several near surface geophysicalΒ investigation techniques with high resolution remote sensingΒ image interpretations, in order to define the groundwater flow pathsΒ and whether they can be affected by future seismic events. A seasonalΒ spring (Amvrakia) located at the foot of Meteora pillars near the villageΒ of Kastraki (Greece) was chosen as a test site. The Meteora conglomeraticΒ formations crop out throughout the study area and areΒ characterized by large discontinuities caused by post Miocene till presentΒ tectonic deformation [Ferriere et al. 2011, Royden and PapanikolaouΒ 2011]. A network of groundwater pathways has been developedΒ above the impermeable marls underlying the conglomeratic strata. OurΒ research aims to define these water pathways in order to investigate andΒ understand the exact mechanism of the spring by mapping the exposedΒ discontinuity network with classic field mapping and remote sensingΒ image interpretation and define their underground continuity with theΒ contribution of near surface geophysical techniques. Five Very Low FrequencyΒ (VLF) profiles were conducted with different directions aroundΒ the spring aiming to detect possible conductive zones in the conglomeraticΒ formations that the study area consists of. Moreover, two ElectricalΒ Resistivity Tomography (ERT) sections of a total length of 140m wereΒ carried out parallel to the VLF profiles for cross-checking and verifyingΒ the geophysical information. Both techniques revealed important conductiveΒ zones (<200 Ohm m) within the conglomerate strata, which weΒ interpret as discontinuities filled with water supplying the spring, whichΒ are quite vulnerable to displacements as the hydraulic connections betweenΒ them might be easily disturbed after a future seismic event.

In this paper we present a combination of several near surface geophysical investigation techniques with high resolution remote sensing image interpretations, in order to define the groundwater flow paths and whether they can be affected by future seismic events. A seasonal spring (Amvrakia) located at the foot of Meteora pillars near the village of Kastraki (Greece) was chosen as a test site. The Meteora conglomeratic formations crop out throughout the study area and are characterized by large discontinuities caused by post Miocene till present tectonic deformation [Ferriere et al. 2011, Royden and Papanikolaou 2011]. A network of groundwater pathways has been developed above the impermeable marls underlying the conglomeratic strata. Our research aims to define these water pathways in order to investigate and understand the exact mechanism of the spring by mapping the exposed discontinuity network with classic field mapping and remote sensing image interpretation and define their underground continuity with theΒ contribution of near surface geophysical techniques. Five Very Low Frequency (VLF) profiles were conducted with different directions around the spring aiming to detect possible conductive zones in the conglomeratic formations that the study area consists of. Moreover, two Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) sections of a total length of 140m were carried out parallel to the VLF profiles for cross-checking and verifying the geophysical information. Both techniques revealed important conductive zones (<200 Ohm m) within the conglomerate strata, which we interpret as discontinuities filled with water supplying the spring, which are quite vulnerable to displacements as the hydraulic connections between them might be easily disturbed after a future seismic event.

Our recent ground-based BVRI CCD observations of the eclipsing binary system EL Aqr provide the most accurate photometric light variation obtained so far for this system. In addition to the photometric observations, a revision of all existing spectroscopic data is carried out and a new mass ratio is derived. The combined photometric and spectroscopic data are analyzed using the Wilson- Devinney light curve synthesis code and new geometric and photometric elements are calculated. EL Aqr is found to be in contact configuration, showing partial eclipses, and one of the smallest mass ratios ever found on contact binaries.

A conventional PCR and a real-time PCR for detecting Bacteroides fragilis were evaluated against clinical specimens. Analytical sensitivities were 100 and 40 fg of DNA, respectively. Detection limits were 100 and 10 CFU/ml, respectively. A total of six culture-negative specimens were positive by PCR. Altering the gold standard from "positive culture" to "positive culture or both PCR assays positive" resulted in sensitivities of 91.7% and 100%, respectively, and in specificities of 100% and 98.6%, respectively.

The association between perinatal factors and asthma inception is under rigorous investigation. Nevertheless, evidence of a correlation between asthma, conception via in vitro fertilization (IVF) and delivery through Caesarean section (C-section) is inconclusive.|We aimed to assess the relation of asthma incidence with IVF and C-section, after controlling for several potential confounding factors.|Parent-reported wheeze in the last 12 months (current), wheeze ever, physician-diagnosed asthma, method of conception, and type of delivery were recorded from questionnaires filled in by the parents of 2016 Greek children aged 9-13, (the Healthy Growth Study population). Some perinatal data were recorded from children's medical records and others were reported by parents; anthropometric measurements were also conducted in children.|IVF was correlated with physician-diagnosed asthma (OR = 2.25; 95% CI = 1.11-4.56), but not with current/ever wheeze after adjustment for potential confounding factors. After adjustment, C-section was also associated with asthma (OR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.04-1.87), but not with current/ever wheeze. When the association of both IVF and C-section with asthma was examined in the same multivariate logistic regression model, it was weakened to borderline significance (OR = 2.04; 95% CI = 1-4.15 and OR = 1.34; 95% CI = 1-1.81 respectively).|Conception via IVF and delivery by C-section may predispose children to future asthma development. Either variable could also exert a confounding effect on the link of the other to asthma; this may partially be accountable for inconsistencies in the findings of pertinent studies.

A series of observations performed with Swift/XRT (Target ID 33042) in the SMC detected a relatively bright X-ray source at the edge of the field of view. The source is consistent with XMMU J010429.4-723136. It is classified as a high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) candidate in the XMM-Newton point-source catalogue of the SMC (Sturm et al.

El presente artículo se centra en algunos aspectos del conocimiento receptivo y productivo del vocabulario de LE. Primero, en base a las diversas definiciones de los conceptos propuestas por los especialistas en el léxico de LE, se constata que todavía no existe una definición conclusiva de los dos tipos de conocimiento. Segundo, se pretende aclarar su relación exponiendo algunos de los modelos explicativos de dicha relación propuestos desde la década de los años noventa.

We present the recent photometric monitoring of blazar Mrk421, obtained from the Gerostathopouleio Observatoty at University of Athens. Follow-up observations have been performed on this source after a highly energetic flare which occurred on 13 April, 2013. The flare was observed in X- rays by Nustar & Swift and in GeV - TeV gamma-rays by the Fermi satellite and MAGIC/VERITAS telescopes respectively. Continuous photometric monitoring in the optical BVRI bands during 3 months after the flaring activity reveals a quasi-periodic light variation. This is one of the few times that Mrk 421 was observed for such a long period without large observational gaps. We perform Fourier analysis of the almost uninterrupted 3-months-long dataset in order to get insight on the characteristic timescales of the system. We discuss also possible origins of the optical variability by performing cross-correlation analysis of the optical and of the simultaneous X-ray emission detected with XRT onboard the SWIFT orbital satellite.

Background Early treatment of breast cancer patients with loco-regional relapse or contralateral disease has been shown to improve survival. There is no current consensus on the optimal follow-up strategy. This study estimates the risk of isolated contralateral relapse (CR) after breast cancer surgery and its change over time, together with the efficacy of clinical examination, self-examination and mammography in the detection of CR. Methods Data from patients treated for early breast cancer at Guy's Hospital between 1990 and 1997 were collected and those with isolated contralateral recurrences were analysed. Life table analysis was performed and CR, CR-free and cumulative CR rates were calculated. Correlations were evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results One thousand one hundred and forty-three women were included in the study and 23 patients had isolated CR. The median probability of CR was a constant 0.24% per year. Only one recurrence was found clinically at follow up, while the majority was detected through mammography and self-palpation. Conclusions The risk of CR is low and constant with time. Contralateral mammography is useful and can detect the vast majority of contralateral recurrences. These findings may have practical implications especially on the planning of postmastectomy follow up. Linked Comment: Fentiman. Int J Clin Pract 2013; 67: 1071-2. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

BACKGROUND: Renal function may be a major determinant of resistin levels, since most studies revealed association between elevated resistin levels and decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis whether serum resistin is associated with markers of malnutrition and inflammation in elderly non-diabetic adults in different stages of CKD including hemodialysis. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 80 elderly patients divided in four groups of 20 patients each according to eGFR and matched for age (+/- 5 years) and gender. Patients with eGFR more than 1.5 mL/second served as controls. Multivariate regression was used to evaluate the association of resistin with eGFR, demographic, metabolic and inflammatory markers, and insulin resistance. Hematological, biochemical, and immunochemical analyses were performed using commercially available enzyme immunoassays. RESULTS: Our results showed that: 1) serum resistin levels were two times higher in patients with advanced CKD especially those undergoing hemodialysis compared to controls, 2) in univariate analysis, resistin levels correlated directly with Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), high sensitive C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP), and serum phosphate and inversely correlated with albumin, eGFR, and hematocrit levels. We failed to reveal any relationship between resistin levels and Homeostasis Model Assessment Score of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), body mass index (BMI), cholesterol and leptin levels, 3) in multivariate analysis, only TNF-alpha (p < 0.001) and hsCRP (p = 0.032) were the most important independent determinants of serum resistin levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that resistin increases as GFR declines and may be involved in the malnutrition-inflammation state and the reverse epidemiology phenomenon present in elderly, non-diabetic patients with CKD.

Ειρήνη Καμπερίδου (2013). «Η κρίση στο γυναικείο αθλητισμό: η μοντελοποίηση των αθλητών/τριών», κεντρική ομιλήτρια  στην ενότητα «Η συμμετοχή των Γυναικών στον Πολιτισμό και στον Αθλητισμό»,  Διημερίδα του Δήμου Αθηναίων  με θέμα: «8 Μαρτίου-Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Γυναίκας: Νέες Δράσεις του Δήμου Αθηναίων για τις Γυναίκες» 07 & 08 Μαρτίου 2013 Τεχνόπολις  Δήμου Αθηναίων.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Αυτή η εισήγηση συγκρίνει την προβολή του γυναικείου αθλητισμού στα MME  των ΗΠΑ, της Αυστραλίας και της Ελλάδας, εντοπίζοντας τον εξωραϊσμός των ανδρικών επιτευγμάτων και την υποβάθμιση των γυναικείων. Στη συνέχεια εξετάζει τις κοινωνικές επιπτώσεις της προβολής των εμπορευματοποιημένων-μοντελοποιημένων ή εικονικά κατασκευασμένων αθλητών/τριών στα Μ.Μ.Ε., όπως για παράδειγμα το «σύνδρομο του Άδωνη» που πλήττει τον ανδρικό πληθυσμό σήμερα. Δηλαδή την κρίση των αρρένων με το σώμα τους. Η  «κρίση στο γυναικείο αθλητισμό» (Messner et al. 2010), που αναφέρεται στην ελάχιστη τηλεοπτική κάλυψη του γυναικείου αθλητισμού, επισημαίνεται ειδικά στις Η.Π.Α., όπου η τηλεοπτική προβολή των γυναικείων αγώνων το 2009 (1.6%)  είναι λιγότερη από ότι ήταν πριν από 20 χρόνια (5.0%) και δεν υπάρχει καμία ένδειξη ή λόγος να πιστεύουμε ότι αυτή η τάση θα αλλάξει, εκτός αν οι τηλεοπτικοί παραγωγοί αποφασίσουν ότι κάτι τέτοιο θα ήταν προς όφελός τους.  Το κύριο εμπόδιο που αντιμετωπίζει ο γυναικείος αθλητισμός και η αθλήτρια σήμερα είναι η ορατότητα (προβολή) στα ΜΜΕ και ειδικά η προβολή της αθλητικης ταυτότητας, δηλαδή η προβολή της αθλήτριας στον αθλητικό της ρόλο.  Τέλος, πραγματευόμαστε εναλλακτικά αθλητικά μοντέλα, μια ολιστική προσέγγιση, ενόψει της εμπορικής παγκοσμιοποίησης του αθλητισμού και της αθλητικής ταυτότητας. Ιδιαίτερη ανησυχία προκαλούν οι νέες αθλητικές ταυτότητες που προβάλλονται στα ΜΜΕ, όπως οι μεταμορφώσεις-μετασχηματισμοί του ανθρώπινου σώματος (genetic doping) και η μοντελοποίηση των αθλητών/τριών, το ανθρώπινο εμπόριο του καταναλωτισμού, της ψυχαγωγίας και του θεάματος. Μολονότι στην κοινωνική περιοχή του αθλητισμού των επιδόσεων δεν τίθεται το ερώτημα εάν μία επίδοση προσεγγίστηκε με «θηλυπρέπεια» ή με «ανδροπρέπεια», εντούτοις οφείλουμε να επισημάνουμε ότι παρατηρείται, ως αποτέλεσμα των μεθόδων προπόνησης σε συγκεκριμένα αθλήματα, μια θηλυκοποίηση του αθλητή και μια αρσενικοποίηση-ανδροποίηση της αθλήτρια, οδηγώντας έτσι αργά και αθόρυβα στην εμφάνιση στα ΜΜΕ μιας καινούργιας αθλητικής αισθητικής, όσον αφορά την αισθητική τους σώματος. Εν ολίγοις, στην προβολή στα ΜΜΕ μιας άφυλης ρευστότητας (gender fluidity): ο άφυλος αθλητής και η άφυλη αθλήτρια (genderless athletes).  Ωστόσο, αναδυκνείεται ότι οι 'κλωνοποιημένοι' αθλητές/αθλήτριες που προβάλλονται στα ΜΜΕ δεν εκπροσωπούν την πλειονότητα των ανδρών και των γυναικών της κοινωνικής περιοχής του αθλητισμού. Ένας αυξανόμενος αριθμός αθλητών/τριών, γυμναστών/στριών, ερευνητών/τριών, ακτιβιστών/τριών, δουλεύοντας έξω από τη δεσπόζουσα τάση της εποχής, αγωνίζονται για τη δημιουργία καινούργιων αθλητικών μοντέλων και προτύπων, για την προστασία και την ακεραιότητα του αθλητή  και της αθλήτριας,  και της αθλητικής δεοντολογίας, την προστασία του περιβάλλοντος, την εξάλειψη της διεθνικής σωματεμπορίας (human trafficking), κ.ά. (Heywood and Dworkin 2003, Creedon 2006, Messner & Raewyn 2007, Καμπερίδου 2005, 2012).

Background: A cross sectional study to investigate HPV prevalence according to age and cytology.Methods: Women presenting to a gynaecological outpatient clinic for a Pap smear test were included in the study (n=3177). All women had cervical cytology and HPV testing.Results: Overall prevalence of any 24 HPV type analysed was 33.1{%} (95{%} CI 31.5{%} to 34.7{%}) and HPV 16 and HPV 42 were the most frequent (6.7{%} (95{%} CI 5.8{%} to 7.6{%}), 6.8{%} (95{%} CI 5.9{%} to 7.6{%})), in total samples. Multiple HPV infection rate was 12.9{%} (95{%} CI 11.8{%} to 14.1{%}). High risk HPV (hrHPV) types were present in 27.4{%} (95{%} CI 25.8{%} to 28.9{%}) of the samples.HPV prevalence was highest among 14 to 19 y.o (46.6{%} (95{%} CI 40.7{%}-52.4{%})) and second highest among 30-34 y.o. (39.7{%}, 95{%} CI 35.4{%}-44{%}). HPV 16 was highest among 20-24 (9.0{%} (95{%} CI 6.4{%}-11.6{%})) and second highest among 50 to 54 y.o. (6.3{%} (95{%} CI 2.9{%} to 9.8{%}).In Low-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (LgSIL) cytology samples, the most frequently detected hrHPV types were: 16 (14.5{%} (95{%} CI 12.1{%} to 16.9{%})), 51 (13.0{%} (95{%} CI 10.7{%} to 15.3{%})) and 53 (9.1{%} (95{%} CI 7.2{%} to 11.1{%})) and in High-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (HgSIL) were: HPV 16 (37.2{%} (95{%} CI 26.5{%} to 47.9{%})), HPV 51 (17.9{%} (95{%} CI 9.4{%} to 26.5{%})) and HPV 18 (12.8{%} (95{%} CI 5.4{%} to 20.2{%})).Conclusions: In the population studied, HPV 16 and 51 were the most frequent detected hrHPV types. HPV positivity, hrHPV and multiple HPV types infections were higher in young women, while HPV prevalence declined with increasing age and presented two peaks a higher (14-19 y.o.) and a lower one (30-34 y.o.) These results may contribute to the creation of a national screening programme. © 2013 Argyri et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Apoptosis and necrosis are the two major modes of cell death, the molecular mechanisms of which have been extensively studied. Although initially thought to constitute mutually exclusive cellular states, recent findings reveal cellular contexts that require a balanced interplay between these two modes of cellular demise. Several death initiator and effector molecules, signaling pathways and subcellular sites have been identified as key mediators in both processes, either by constituting common modules or alternatively by functioning as a switch allowing cells to decide which route to take, depending on the specific situation. Importantly, autophagy, which is a predominantly cytoprotective process, has been linked to both types of cell death, serving either a pro-survival or pro-death function. Here we review the recent literature that highlights the intricate interplay between apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy, focusing on the relevance and impact of this crosstalk in normal development and in pathology. This article is part of a Special Section entitled: Cell Death Pathways.

Compilation of CTA contributions to the proceedings of the 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2013), which took place in 2-9 July, 2013, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Compilation of CTA contributions to the proceedings of the 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2013), which took place in 2-9 July, 2013, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Introduction: Renal impairment (RI) is a common complication of symptomatic myeloma; 20-40% of newly diagnosed patients present with moderate or severe RI and 10% of them may require dialysis. Immediate initiation of specific antimyeloma therapy is crucial in order to improve RI. Areas covered: There has been a significant improvement in the outcome of patients with RI over the past 15 years. The authors review current data on the role of antimyeloma therapy on the improvement or resolution of RI and the importance of novel regimens, especially those based on bortezomib. IMiDs-based regimens, conventional chemotherapy and high-dose therapy is also reviewed. The role of extrarenal free light chain removal, by means of plasma exchange or extended hemodialysis with the use of high cutoff dialysis membranes, is also discussed. Expert opinion: Bortezomib/dexamethasone-based regimens are the preferred regimens for most patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who present with RI, especially for newly diagnosed patients; however, other novel agents (thalidomide, lenalidomide) in combination with dexamethasone may also improve RI in several patients. Further investigation is needed for the clarification of the role of plasma exchange or extended high cutoff dialysis. Carfilzomib, which was recently approved, may also be a treatment choice for selected patients with relapsed MM and RI. © 2013 Informa UK, Ltd.

We consider series of M/M/m queues with strategic customer behavior. Customers arrive to the first queue and decide whether to enter the system or balk and, if they enter, up to which queue to proceed before departing. Each customer makes an independent decision, with the objective of maximizing her total net benefit, which is equal to the value of service minus a cost due to expected delay. We formulate the customer decision as a game and identify the unique symmetric Nash equilibrium strategy, which is expressed in a backward recursive form. We also analyze the problem of maximizing the total customer welfare and establish the relationship between the equilibrium and the welfare maximizing strategies. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

The origin of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in humans and other primates remains largely unresolved. Understanding the origin of HBV is crucial because it provides a framework for studying the burden, and subsequently the evolution, of HBV pathogenicity with respect to changes in human population size and life expectancy. To investigate this controversy we examined the relationship between HBV phylogeny and genetic diversity of modern humans, investigated the timescale of global HBV dispersal, and tested the hypothesis of HBV-human co-divergence. We find that the global distribution of HBV genotypes and subgenotypes are consistent with the major prehistoric modern human migrations. We calibrate the HBV molecular clock using the divergence times of different indigenous human populations based on archaeological and genetic evidence and show that HBV jumped into humans around 33,600 years ago; 95% higher posterior density (HPD): 22,000-47,100 years ago (estimated substitution rate: 2.2 × 10(-6) ; 95% HPD: 1.5-3.0 × 10(-6) substitutions/site/year). This coincides with the origin of modern non-African humans. Crucially, the most pronounced increase in the HBV pandemic correlates with the global population increase over the last 5,000 years. We also show that the non-human HBV clades in orangutans and gibbons resulted from cross-species transmission events from humans that occurred no earlier than 6,100 years ago. CONCLUSION: Our study provides, for the first time, an estimated timescale for the HBV epidemic that closely coincides with dates of human dispersals, supporting the hypothesis that HBV has been co-expanding and co-migrating with human populations for the last 40,000 years. (HEPATOLOGY 2013).

PURPOSE: Acute appendicitis within a femoral hernia is a rare condition that was first described by Rene Jacques de Garengeot. In the present study, we summarize the existing evidence on de Garengeot's hernia, with special emphasis on its clinical presentation and diagnostic approach. METHODS: A thorough search of the English-language literature published between 1980 and 2011 was performed. Studies reporting cases of de Garengeot's hernia were selected using specific inclusion criteria (description of femoral hernia appendicitis, statement of patient demographics and symptoms, and statement of diagnostic tests performed). RESULTS: Thirty-one studies that encompassed 36 patients (28 women, mean age 71.5 years) with de Garengeot's hernia were included in our analysis. Patients presented with a right groin mass in 35 (97 %) cases. The mass was almost always painful (n = 35, 97 %), while 14 (39 %) of the patients were febrile. Mean duration of symptoms was 5.17 days. Fifty-six percent of the groin masses were erythematous. Leukocytosis was present in 67 % of the patients, and 25 patients underwent imaging investigation with X-ray (n = 11), Ultrasound (n = 5) or Computed Tomography (CT, n = 9). Twenty percent of the Ultrasound and 44 % of the CT studies were diagnostic, leading to an overall rate of 14 % of femoral hernia appendicitis preoperative diagnosis. Eighty-one percent of the patients underwent herniorrhaphy with sutures while a mesh was used in 19 %. Mean hospital stay was 6.23 days. CONCLUSION: Preoperative diagnosis of de Garengeot's hernia is difficult due to its atypical clinical presentation. Further surgical treatment depends on the surgeon's sound clinical judgment.

We introduce a theoretical model to scrutinize the conductivity of small polarons in 1D disordered systems, focusing on two crucial – as will be demonstrated – factors: the density of states and the spatial extent of the electronic wave function. The investigation is performed for any temperature up to 300 K and under electric field of arbitrary strength up to the polaron dissociation limit. To accomplish this task, we combine analytical work with numerical calculations.

Electrolysis of ultrapure water in a two-electrode cell with silver anode and conductive substrate (Si wafer) as a cathode leads to the formation of nanostructured silver layers deposited on cathode. In the process, the silver anode is electrochemically dissolved to silver cations, which react with water (or OH• radicals derived from water electrolysis) forming silver oxide nanoparticles, which fill the interelectrode space by electrophoretic movement, diffusion and convection induced by temperature effects of electrolysis. During the process the silver oxide nanoparticles are partially transformed into silver nanoparticles. On the cathode, silver cations and silver/silver oxide nanoparticles undergo reduction to form nanostructured silver film. The results of the present study open a new, extremely simple and ultra-low cost way to prepare nanostructured silver films on conducting and semiconducting substrates. The prepared nanosilver coated silicon substrates exhibit high performances as amperometric sensors for hydrogen peroxide and also as SERS substrates. © 2013 The Electrochemical Society.

EU is developing a 1 MW cylindrical cavity gyrotron. In the last year the design of the components of the new gyrotron has been finalized while the technological design of the new tube has been defined. In the present paper, the main characteristics of the new EU gyrotron for ITER are presented.

In this paper we aim to contribute to the process of networking between theoretical frames in mathematics education by means of forging connections between Constructionism and Instrumental Theory to discuss a design for instrumentalisation. We specifically focus on instrumentalisation, i.e. the ways in which students make changes to digital artifacts and generate meanings in reference to these, as something which will not inevitably happen during activity with digital media. We discuss the issue of designing artifacts and corresponding activities in order to facilitate an instrumentalisation process which will be rich in the generation of mathematical meanings. We report findings from research aimed at shedding light on the meanings of angle in 3D space generated by 13 year olds students while using a specially designed Turtle Geometry microworld. The analysis indicates that connections between the two theories on the issue of designing for instrumentalisation enhances our efficiency to explore the instrumental genesis in technology-rich environments.

Limited information is available to describe the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 in Bulgaria. To better understand the genetic diversity and the epidemiologic dynamics of HIV-1 we analyzed 125 new polymerase (pol) sequences from Bulgarians diagnosed through 2009 and 77 pol sequences available from our previous study from persons infected prior to 2007. Epidemiologic and demographic information was obtained from each participant and phylogenetic analysis was used to infer HIV-1 evolutionary histories. 120 (59.5%) persons were infected with one of five different HIV-1 subtypes (A1, B, C, F1 and H) and 63 (31.2%) persons were infected with one of six different circulating recombinant forms (CRFs; 01_AE, 02_AG, 04_cpx, 05_DF, 14_BG, and 36_cpx). We also for the first time identified infection with two different clusters of unique A-like and F-like sub-subtype variants in 12 persons (5.9%) and seven unique recombinant forms (3.5%), including a novel J/C recombinant. While subtype B was the major genotype identified and was more prevalent in MSM and increased between 2000-2005, most non-B subtypes were present in persons ≥45 years old. CRF01_AE was the most common non-B subtype and was higher in women and IDUs relative to other risk groups combined. Our results show that HIV-1 infection in Bulgaria reflects the shifting distribution of genotypes coincident with the changing epidemiology of the HIV-1 epidemic among different risk groups. Our data support increased public health interventions targeting IDUs and MSM. Furthermore, the substantial and increasing HIV-1 genetic heterogeneity, combined with fluctuating infection dynamics, highlights the importance of sustained and expanded surveillance to prevent and control HIV-1 infection in Bulgaria.

BACKGROUND: HRQoL in children with asthma depends on multiple factors, among which asthma severity and level of control are believed to play a vital role. The determinants of the connection between asthma severity and asthma control with quality of life remain unclear. AIMS: Primary aim of the study was to evaluate the HRQoL in children with asthma and to determine the factors that affect it. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total 504 children and one of their parents were recruited during a regular follow up visit in an outpatient asthma clinic. The measures used were the DISABKIDS smiley measure (DSmM), chronic generic measure-long form (DCGM-37) and the Condition-specific modules for asthma along with a special form for collecting demographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Three hundred fifteen children with mean age 5.35 years (Group A) and 189 with mean age 10.79 years (Group B), were recruited. Children with controlled asthma had significant higher mean score than the other asthma control groups (P < 0.001). Corticosteroid use, asthma severity, number of visits in doctor's office and lack of asthma control were significantly associated with the DCGM-37 scores as well as Impact Scale and Worry Scale. Lack of Asthma Control was the only factor that was associated with negative HRQoL in all the multiple regression models, controlling for the effect of the other covariates, in both age groups. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the evaluation of asthma HRQoL independently reflects the asthma control state and a dimension of its severity. These results highlight the need to modify asthma management strategy.

The study of atmospheric concentration levels at a local scale is one of the most important topics in environmental sciences. Multivariate analysis, fuzzy logic, and neural networks have been introduced in forecasting procedures in order to elaborate operational techniques for level characterization of specific atmospheric pollutants at different spatial and temporal scales. Particularly, approaches based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been proposed and successfully applied for forecasting concentration levels of PM10, NO2, SO2, CO, and O3. The present study explores the development and application of ANN models for forecasting, 24 h ahead, not only the daily concentration levels of PM10 but also the number of hours exceeding the PM10 concentration threshold during the day in five different regions within the greater Athens area (GAA). The ANN modeling was based on measurements and estimates of the mean daily PM10 concentration, the maximum hourly NO2 concentration, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and the mode daily value of wind direction from five different monitoring stations for the period 2001-2005. The evaluation of the model performance showed the risk of daily PM10 concentration levels exceeding certain thresholds as well as the duration of the exceedances can be successfully predicted. Despite the limitations of the model, the results indicate that ANNs, when adequately trained, have considerable potential to be used for 1 day ahead PM10 concentration forecasting and the duration within the GAA. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013.

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection is a usually severe type of viral hepatitis associated with increased mortality and rapid evolution to cirrhosis. Currently, treatment is limited to extended interferon administration and measurement of HDV RNA blood levels is essential to judge the response. The aim of this study was to develop a highly sensitive and reproducible real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) for the quantitation of circulating HDV RNA of all clades (1-8), and assess its usefulness in the follow-up of patients. The amplification was combined with molecular beacon technology using the LightCycler 2.0 system. The assay was specific and showed linearity over a wide range from 13 to 13 x 10(10) copies/mL. The 95% detection limit was 43.2 copies/mL. Intra-assay reproducibility, as expressed by the coefficient of variation, ranged from 1.84 to 18.61%, whereas the corresponding estimates for the inter-assay variability ranged from 0.57 to 10.18%. Finally, the dynamic profiles of six patients regarding virological (HDV RNA, HBV DNA), biochemical and serological data were constructed. We were able to observe that most patients who were treated with an interferon-based regime showed a significant reduction in delta viremia. In conclusion, our real-time RT-PCR for HDV RNA quantification combines high sensitivity and reproducibility in a high dynamic range, can provide important information for patient management and can be a useful tool for monitoring the response to antiviral therapies.

Background:Accurate prediction of outcome for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients receiving targeted therapy is essential. Most of the available models have been developed in patients treated with cytokines, while most of them are fairly complex, including at least five factors. We developed and externally validated a simple model for overall survival (OS) in mRCC. We also studied the recently validated International Database Consortium (IDC) model in our data sets.Methods:The development cohort included 170 mRCC patients treated with sunitinib. The final prognostic model was selected by uni- and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Risk groups were defined by the number of risk factors and by the 25th and 75th percentiles of the model's prognostic index distribution. The model was validated using an independent data set of 266 mRCC patients (validation cohort) treated with the same agent.Results:Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS), time from diagnosis of RCC and number of metastatic sites were included in the final model. Median OS of patients with 1, 2 and 3 risk factors were: 24.7, 12.8 and 5.9 months, respectively, whereas median OS was not reached for patients with 0 risk factors. Concordance (C) index for internal validation was 0.712, whereas C-index for external validation was 0.634, due to differences in survival especially in poor-risk populations between the two cohorts. Predictive performance of the model was improved after recalibration. Application of the mRCC International Database Consortium (IDC) model resulted in a C-index of 0.574 in the development and 0.576 in the validation cohorts (lower than those recently reported for this model). Predictive ability was also improved after recalibration in this analysis. Risk stratification according to IDC model showed more similar outcomes across the development and validation cohorts compared with our model.Conclusion:Our model provides a simple prognostic tool in mRCC patients treated with a targeted agent. It had similar performance with the IDC model, which, however, produced more consistent survival results across the development and validation cohorts. The predictive ability of both models was lower than that suggested by internal validation (our model) or recent published data (IDC model), due to differences between observed and predicted survival among intermediate and poor-risk patients. Our results highlight the importance of external validation and the need for further refinement of existing prognostic models. © 2013 Cancer Research UK. All rights reserved.

PURPOSE: In the Greek population of Epirus, exfoliation syndrome (XFS) and exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) occur at a high prevalence. In this study, we validate a novel lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1) genotyping method, investigate the previously reported association of LOXL1 with XFS/XFG, and evaluate apolipoprotein E (APOE) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms as genetic risk factors for both conditions in our population. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 82 patients with XFG, 69 patients with XFS, 52 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), and 107 controls. APOE and MTHFR 677C>T genotyping was performed from extracted genomic DNA with established methods. A novel methodology of real-time PCR and melting curve analysis was developed and validated to accurately genotype the LOXL1 G153D and R141L polymorphisms by using two different fluorescent channels of the LightCycler instrument (Roche) examining each SNP separately. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed for the APOE and MTHFR polymorphisms between the patients with XFS, the patients with XFG, and the control subjects. The APOE epsilon2 allele appears to be associated with elevated risk of POAG in our population. Our novel LOXL1 genotyping method was easy to perform, fast, and accurate. A statistically significant association was found for the LOXL1 gene with XFS/XFG in this Greek population. The association of XFS and XFG with G153D appeared to be less powerful in this population (XFS: odds ratio [OR]=2.162, p=0.039, XFG: OR=2.794, p=0.002) compared to other populations, and for R141L, the association was proven only with XFG (OR=3.592, p<0.001). Neither of the two LOXL1 SNPs was significantly associated with POAG. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed the association between LOXL1 and XFS/XFG, but the APOE and MTHFR polymorphisms are not significant risk factors for the development of XFS/XFG in our population of patients from Epirus (Greece)

Despite the available prevention and early detection strategies, advanced squamous-cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix remains a major concern for public health. Systemic treatment with cisplatin, either in combination with external beam irradiation for locally advanced disease, or as monotherapy for recurrent/metastatic disease has been the cornerstone of treatment for more than two decades. Cisplatin has been also combined with a number of agents including paclitaxel, topotecan, gemcitabine, vinorelbine and ifosfamide, leading to encouraging response rates and increases in progression-free survival in a series of randomized phase III trials. Platinum-based triplets have been also tested, albeit at the cost of substantial toxicity. More recently, combinations with molecular agents targeting critical pathways in cervical malignant transformation are being assessed in clinical trials. In the current review, we discuss all recent advances in the systemic treatment of metastatic cervical cancer with emphasis on the results of large randomized phase III trials. Concerns regarding treatment-related toxicity in the context of co-morbidities and the need for potent predictive biomarkers for individualized treatment are also addressed. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Despite the available prevention and early detection strategies, squamous-cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix is still diagnosed as locally advanced disease in a large proportion of patients. Treatment with cisplatin, in combination with external beam irradiation, has been the cornerstone of treatment in this setting for more than two decades. Induction chemotherapy strategies followed by concurrent chemo-radiation or surgery and pre-operative concurrent chemo-radiation have been recently implemented in clinical trials in an effort to optimize both local control and the occurrence of distant metastases. More recently, combinations of chemotherapy or radiotherapy with molecular agents targeting critical pathways in cervical malignant transformation are being assessed in clinical trials. In this paper, we review the role of cisplatin in the disease in the context of other potent radiosensitizers. We also discuss all recently implemented therapeutic modalities for the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer with emphasis on the novel induction strategies. Concerns regarding treatment-related toxicity in the context of co-morbidities and the need for potent predictive biomarkers for individualized therapeutic approach are also addressed.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term disability and mortality. Mounting evidence from observational studies suggests that among lifestyle factors, diet may be playing an important role for the prevention of stroke. Neuroimaging markers, particularly white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume and brain infarcts (BI) are more sensitive measurements of cerebrovascular disease than clinical assessments. We reviewed published observational and clinical studies that evaluate the association between dietary factors and WMH and BI. The few existing studies examined only a handful individual nutrients or foods (dietary intake of alcohol, B vitamins, fish, choline, serum markers of antioxidants, and a few food groups, Mediterranean-style diet, and nutrient biomarker patterns. Findings from these studies are inconclusive either due to conflicting results from different studies or due to lack of replication. Further studies are necessary to replicate the existing findings. Many other foods or nutrients or dietary patterns may worth of investigation and longitudinal studies are needed.

Advanced glycation end product (AGE)-modified proteins are formed by the nonenzymatic glycation of free amino groups of proteins and, along with lipofuscin (a highly oxidized aggregate of covalently cross-linked proteins, sugars, and lipids), have been found to accumulate during aging and in several age-related diseases. As the in vivo effects of diet-derived AGEs or lipofuscin remain elusive, we sought to study the impact of oral administration of glucose-, fructose-, or ribose-modified albumin or of artificial lipofuscin in a genetically tractable model organism. We report herein that continuous feeding of young Drosophila flies with culture medium enriched in AGEs or in lipofuscin resulted in reduced locomotor performance and in accelerated rates of AGE-modified proteins and carbonylated proteins accumulation in the somatic tissues and hemolymph of flies, as well as in a significant reduction of flies health span and life span. These phenotypic effects were accompanied by reduced proteasome peptidase activities in both the hemolymph and the somatic tissues of flies and higher levels of oxidative stress; furthermore, oral administration of AGEs or lipofuscin in flies triggered an upregulation of the lysosomal cathepsin B, L activities. Finally, RNAi-mediated cathepsin D knockdown reduced flies longevity and significantly augmented the deleterious effects of AGEs and lipofuscin, indicating that lysosomal cathepsins reduce the toxicity of diet-derived AGEs or lipofuscin. Our in vivo studies demonstrate that chronic ingestion of AGEs or lipofuscin disrupts proteostasis and accelerates the functional decline that occurs with normal aging. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

OBJECTIVE: The behavioral and psychological symptoms associated with dementia (BPSD) are highly burdensome to caregivers. While BPSD consist of a wide variety of patient behaviors including depression, physical aggression, and paranoid delusions, it remains unclear whether specific symptoms have a differential impact on caregivers. The aims of this study were 1) to assess how individual BPSD, categorized based on how they may affect caregivers, impact depressive symptoms for dementia patient caregivers and 2) to test the pathways by which BPSD clusters impact caregiver depressive symptoms. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data from a longitudinal study of patients with Alzheimer disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. SETTING: Multiple U.S. dementia clinics. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred sixty patient-caregiver dyads. METHODS: Using multivariate generalized estimating equation logistic models, we analyzed the relationship between four BPSD clusters (patient depressive symptoms, accusatory/aggressive behaviors, nonthreatening psychotic symptoms, and difficult to manage behaviors) and caregiver depressive symptoms and assessed mediators of these relationships. RESULTS: Only the presence of patient depressive symptoms was associated with caregiver depression (odds ratio: 1.55; 95% confidence interval: 1.14-2.1). This relationship was mediated by caregiver report of both the symptom's impact on the patient and perceived burden to caregivers. CONCLUSION: Patient depressive symptoms may be the most important driver of the relationship between BPSD and caregiver depression. Research in this field should further test the effects of individual BPSD and also consider how symptoms may negatively impact caregivers by increasing burden and evoking empathy for the patient.

Proteasome is central to proteostasis maintenance, as it degrades both normal and damaged proteins. Herein, we undertook a detailed analysis of proteasome regulation in the in vivo setting of Drosophila melanogaster. We report that a major hallmark of somatic tissues of aging flies is the gradual accumulation of ubiquitinated and carbonylated proteins; these effects correlated with a ~50% reduction of proteasome expression and catalytic activities. In contrast, gonads of aging flies were relatively free of proteome oxidative damage and maintained substantial proteasome expression levels and highly active proteasomes. Moreover, gonads of young flies were found to possess more abundant and more active proteasomes than somatic tissues. Exposure of flies to oxidants induced higher proteasome activities specifically in the gonads, which were, independently of age, more resistant than soma to oxidative challenge and, as analyses in reporter transgenic flies showed, retained functional antioxidant responses. Finally, inducible Nrf2 activation in transgenic flies promoted youthful proteasome expression levels in the aged soma, suggesting that age-dependent Nrf2 dysfunction is causative of decreasing somatic proteasome expression during aging. The higher investment in proteostasis maintenance in the gonads plausibly facilitates proteome stability across generations; it also provides evidence in support of the trade-off theories of aging. © FASEB.

New variable stars were discovered at the University of Athens Observatory, during data reduction in the frame of BVRI CCD observations of the eclipsing variable stars between August 2012 and June 2013. The photometric data were used in order to classify the new variables and calculate their principle photometric properties, such as their orbital period and amplitude of variation. All new discoveries are classified as contact eclipsing binaries of W UMa-type. New times of minimum light are determined and the astronomical ephemeris is calculated for each individual system.

RX J0520.5-6932 is a recently confirmed Be/X-ray binary system in the LMC (see ATel #4748).

With these comments on the paper "Attitude of Physicians Towards Automatic Alerting in Computerized Physician Order Entry Systems", written by Martin Jung and co-authors, with Dr. Elske Ammenwerth as senior author [1], the journal wants to stimulate a broad discussion on computerized physician order entry systems. An international group of experts have been invited by the editor of Methods to comment on this paper. Each of the invited commentaries forms one section of this paper.

Extensive variation in land snail shell morphology has been widely documented, although few studies have attempted to investigate the ecological and evolutionary drivers of this variation. Within a comparative phylogenetic framework, we investigated the temporal and spatial evolution of the shell morphology of the Greek endemic land snail genus Codringtonia. The contribution of both inter- and intraspecies shell differentiation in the overall shell variability is assessed. The effect of climate, space, and evolutionary history on the shell variability was inferred using a variance partitioning framework. For Codringtonia species, intraspecies divergence of shell traits contributes substantially to the overall shell variability. By decomposing this variability, it was shown that the overall shell size of Codringtonia clades is phylogenetically constrained, related to early speciation events, and strongly affected by large-scale spatial variability (latitudinal gradient). The effect of climate on shell size cannot be disentangled from phylogeny and space. Shell and, to a larger extent, aperture shape are not phylogenetically constrained, and appear to be mostly related to conspecific populations divergence events. Shell shape is substantially explained by both climate and space that greatly overlap. Aperture shape is mainly interpreted by medium to small-scale spatial variables. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, ●●, ●●–●●.

Oncogenic stimuli trigger the DNA damage response (DDR) and induction of the alternative reading frame (ARF) tumor suppressor, both of which can activate the p53 pathway and provide intrinsic barriers to tumor progression. However, the respective timeframes and signal thresholds for ARF induction and DDR activation during tumorigenesis remain elusive. Here, these issues were addressed by analyses of mouse models of urinary bladder, colon, pancreatic and skin premalignant and malignant lesions. Consistently, ARF expression occurred at a later stage of tumor progression than activation of the DDR or p16 INK4A, a tumor-suppressor gene overlapping with ARF. Analogous results were obtained in several human clinical settings, including early and progressive lesions of the urinary bladder, head and neck, skin and pancreas. Mechanistic analyses of epithelial and fibroblast cell models exposed to various oncogenes showed that the delayed upregulation of ARF reflected a requirement for a higher, transcriptionally based threshold of oncogenic stress, elicited by at least two oncogenic 'hits', compared with lower activation threshold for DDR. We propose that relative to DDR activation, ARF provides a complementary and delayed barrier to tumor development, responding to more robust stimuli of escalating oncogenic overload. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Background: Significant controversy exists in the literature regarding the role of pregnancy in the prognosis of breast cancer. We designed a matched case-case study, matching pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) cases with breast cancer cases for stage, age, and year of diagnosis. Patients and Methods: 39 consecutive cases of PABC were matched with 39 premenopausal cases of breast cancer. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses followed by adjustment for stage, grade, estrogen receptor status, and age at diagnosis, were performed. Results: Regarding overall survival (OS), univariate analysis pointed to longer OS in non-PABC cases vs. PABC cases. Accordingly, a more advanced stage predicted shorter survival. In the multivariate analysis, the independent aggravating effect mediated by pregnancy persisted. Interestingly, a post hoc nested analysis within PABC cases indicated that the 3rd trimester pointed to shorter OS. The aforementioned results on OS were also replicated during the examination of relapse-free survival. Conclusion: Implementing a matched case-case design, the present study points to pregnancy as a poor prognostic factor for breast cancer. © 2013 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

Background: In hemodialysis (HD) patients, anemia relates to three main factors: insufficient production of erythropoietin; impaired management of iron; and decreased lifespan of red blood cells (RBCs). The third factor can relate to structural deterioration of RBCs due to extrinsic (extracorporeal circuit; biochemical activation and/or mechanical stress during dialysis) and intrinsic (uremic milieu; biochemical interference of the RBC membrane constituents with toxins) mechanisms. Herein, we evaluate information accessed with advanced imaging techniques at the cellular level. Methods: Atomic force and scanning electron microscopes were employed to survey intact RBCs (iRBCs) of seven HD patients in comparison to seven healthy donors. The extrinsic factor was investigated by contrasting pre- and post-HD samples. The intrinsic environment was investigated by comparing the microscopy data with the clinical ones. Results: The iRBC membranes of the enrolled HD patients were overpopulated with orifice-like (high incidence; typical size within 100-1,000 nm) and crevice-like (low incidence; typical size within 500-4,000 nm) defects that exhibited a statistically significant (P < 0.05) relative increase (+55% and +350%, respectively) in respect to healthy donors. The relative variation of the orifice and crevice indices (mean population of orifices and crevices per top membrane surface) between pre- and post-HD was not statistically significant (-3.3% and +4.5%, respectively). The orifice index correlates with the concentrations of urea, calcium, and phosphorus, but not, however, with that of creatinine. Conclusion: Extracorporeal circulation is not detrimental to the structural integrity of RBC membranes. Uremic milieu is a candidate cause of RBC membrane deterioration, which possibly worsens anemia.

Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy from Kotaphi Hill section allowed not only the biostratigraphic zonation of the Miocene units but also provided evidence for a distinct warm phase known as the Middle Miocene Climate Optimum (MMCO). Kotaphi Hill section is located in Agrokipia village (Nicosia region, Cyprus) and consists of cyclic marine deposits of the Pakhna Formation. High resolution sampling has been conducted and 84 samples were collected. Preliminary results indicated that several important calcareous nannofossil events can be consistently recognized along the studied section. High abundances of Discoaster druggii and Highest occurrence (HO) of Sphenolithus procerus suggest the presence of NN2 biozone while, LO of Sphenolithus belemnos has been used to recognize the base of biozone NN3. Upwards, Lowest Common Occurrence (LCO) of Sphenolithus heteromorphus marked the NN3-4 boundary-level. Biozone NN4 in Kotaphi Hill section is featured by high abundance of S. heteromorphus whereas total absence of the species together with the LO of Helicosphaera walbedorfensis mark the Paracme Beginning (PB) of S. heteromorphus interval. High abundance of warm indicators such as Discoasterids, S. heteromorphus, S. moriformis and Helicosphaera carteri observed in our material may partly reflect the warm phase of MMCO.