Publications by Year: In Press

Purpose: Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) participates in thrombotic, fibrinolytic, inflammatory and metabolic cascades. Since previous studies have focused on tissue and blood level concentrations, our goal was to investigate for the first time the independent relationship between plasma PAI-1 activity in resectable non small cell cell lung cancer (NSCLC) taking into consideration its several interfaces, and study its diagnostic and prognostic potential. Methods: In an adequately powered case-control study, plasma PAI-1 activity, metabolic parameters, classic adipokines, hemostatic, inflammatory and tumor biomarkers were measured in 110 consecutive patients with resectable NSCLC and 110 healthy subjects matched on age, sex and date of blood draw. Results: NSCLC patients exhibited significantly higher PAI-1 activity compared to controls (p<0.001). In NSCLC cases, PAI-1 activity correlated with somatometric variables, insulin, WBC, antithrombin III, protein C, plasminogen, IL-6 and tumor size (p<0.05). Plasma PAI-1 activity was independently associated with NSCLC beyond risk factors associated with NSCLC (OR: 6.9, 95% CI: 2.9-16.6, p<0.001). Plasminogen activity and body mass index emerged as independent predictors of PAI-1 activity in cases. Due to its high specificity, PAI-1 activity could represent a potentially useful parameter in ruling out NSCLC, alone or in combination with serum tumor markers associated with NSCLC. Conclusions: PAI-1 activity, reflecting PAI-1 functionality, may represent a potentially useful biomarker in NSCLC associated with thrombotic, tumor-promoting and metabolic networks. More clinical studies are needed to explore whether PAI-1 activity may be a practical biomarker in the risk assessment of NSCLC, at the crossroads of hemostasis and metabolism.

Given that goat milk and dairy products should be consumed daily according to suggestions based on Mediterranean diet, the current study evaluates the anti-atherogenic properties of goat milk and goat dairy products (yogurt and white cheese). Total lipids (TLs) of all three samples were extracted by the method of Bligh and Dyer and further separated into total polar lipids (TPLs) and total neutral lipids (TNLs) by counter current distribution. The fatty acid profiles of TPL and TNL of all three samples were determined by gas chromatography analysis. TL and TPL were tested to determine whether they induce platelet aggregation or inhibit platelet aggregation induced by the platelet-activating factor (PAF). The most active lipids were found in goat white cheese (i.e., since they showed lower IC50 values in both TL and TPL samples than corresponding fractions of goat milk and goat yogurt), so the TPL of goat white cheese were further separated by preparative thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The obtained polar lipid fractions after TLC separation were also tested for their biological activity. All the samples’ lipids, and especially the polar ones, were found to exhibit strong anti-atherogenic activities. This fact highlights the nutritional value of goat dairy products in terms of cardioprotection, as PAF is a crucial inflammatory mediator that is implicated in the mechanism of atherogenesis.

ABSTRACT The combination of electrospray ionization with ion beam deposition in ultra-high vacuum has opened new opportunities to research non-sublimable molecules on solid surfaces in recent years. An Fe(II) [2 ? 2] grid complex was deposited on Ag(111) and investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy. Low landing energies (< 3 eV z?1) resulted in clusters and single structures with potentially intact coordination bonds. Higher landing energies (> 3 eV z?1) led to coordination bond cleavage and a rich variety of self-assembled surface networks formed spontaneously by the grid fragments. Applying established on-surface synthesis methodology employing the constituents of these networks (ligands and Fe atoms) reproduced only a part of them. It is thus proposed that electrospray ion beam deposition is a different route to on-surface coordination network synthesis.

The steadily rising prevalence of children diagnosed with autism –estimated at one in 100 according to the World Health Organization (2024)– underscores the imperative for educators to cultivate classrooms in which students become sensitized, develop empathy, and enact positive attitudes and behaviors toward classmates with autism, given that school constitutes the pre-eminent context for children’s encounter, interaction, and co-existence. The present study reports the design, implementation, and evaluation of a pilot awareness-raising program intended to enhance peer acceptance of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through the use of an illustrated children’s book. The program was implemented in a single third-grade primary school classroom (N = 15). Prior to and following implementation, semi-structured individual interviews –based on standardized questionnaires– were conducted to examine students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding ASD. The intervention sought to support typically developing children in (a) increasing their knowledge about ASD and (b) adopting more positive attitudes toward peers with ASD. The book All My Stripes by Rudolph and Royer (2015) was used, together with guided discussion and complementary activities (games, crafts, dramatization, and songs). A mixed-method design was implemented, combining qualitative analysis (i.e., thematic analysis with the use of inductive and deductive approach) and quantitative analysis. Findings indicated a marked decrease in children’s ignorance and stereotypes regarding ASD alongside an increase in accurate understanding of ASD and in recognition of strengths in children with ASD. Moreover, children’s intention to form friendships with peers with ASD, to sit at the same desk with them, to play with them during recess, and to support them in incidents of teasing/bullying increased, whereas fear toward them decreased. Notably, gender-related patterns emerged regarding attitudes: girls exhibited greater stability in their positive attitudes, whereas boys demonstrated a larger magnitude of improvement following the intervention. Overall, the pilot program underscored the potential of children’s literature and of an explicitly empathetic pedagogical stance to promote inclusive attitudes in primary school settings.

Abstract Fabrication of diverse and complex 2D molecular architectures using surface-confined supramolecular coordination chemistry has been continuously attracting considerable attention for years. Here, the on-surface synthesis of 2D coordination networks exhibiting both crystalline and vitreous phases employing the same constituents is reported. Robust and flexible bimolecular 2D coordination networks, structurally analogous to 2D bilayer silica films on Ru(0001) and graphene, are achieved by iron-directed self-assembly of indigo and 1,3,5-tris[4-(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl]benzene (ext-TPyB) or 1,3,5-tris(pyridyl)benzene (TPyB) linkers on Au(111). The crystalline phase features honeycombed nanopores, displaying long-range order with local defects that can be attributed to variations in coordination nodes and shape flexibility of the ext-TPyB (/ TPyB) ligand. The vitreous phase evolves upon annealing the honeycomb network to higher temperatures and exhibits reticulated polygons similar to Zachariasen's 2D random network theory. The size of the polygons follows a lognormal distribution, with the probability density function showing an almost linear behavior as characteristic of the structure of glass. The results enrich avenues toward the fabrication and understanding of novel nanostructured condensed matter systems, such as 2D crystalline and vitreous structures, as well as provide the unique possibility to understand structurally bulk glasses.

Ο Χάνς Κρίστιαν Άντερσεν είναι γνωστός ως ένας από τους σημαντικότερους συγγραφείς παραμυθιών. Ωστόσο, υπήρξε και αξιόλογος εκπρόσωπος της ταξιδιωτικής λογοτεχνίας. Το 1841 πραγματοποίησε ένα εν πολλοίς άγνωστο στο ευρύ κοινό ταξίδι στην μεταεπαναστατική Ελλάδα. Τις εντυπώσεις του από το ταξίδι αυτό τις καταγράφει στο βιβλίο «Το παζάρι ενός ποιητή». Με εφαλτήριο το δέος του για τον πολιτισμό των αρχαίων Ελλήνων και την ελληνική φύση καταλαμβάνεται σύντομα από ένα ευδιάκριτο φιλελληνικό πνεύμα, διά του οποίου προσλαμβάνει και καταγράφει διάφορες όψεις της νεοελληνικής πραγματικότητας και του ελληνικού λαϊκού πολιτισμού. Η μελέτη της «λαϊκής ψυχής» υπήρξε βασικός πυλώνας του φιλελληνισμού κατά τον 19ο αιώνα, καθώς στόχος της ήταν να αποδείξει την πολιτισμική συνέχεια, άρα και την φυλετική ενότητα του ελληνικού γένους. Κείμενα όπως «Το παζάρι ενός ποιητή» αποτελούν μέσο γνωριμίας της ευρωπαϊκής κοινής γνώμης με τον ελληνικό λαϊκό πολιτισμό και καταφέρνουν να τονώσουν και να αναγεννήσουν το ευρωπαϊκό ενδιαφέρον για την Ελλάδα.

The present study investigates children’s and adolescents’ conceptions of death, focusing on its biological and metaphysical dimensions and their possible coexistence, with an emphasis on methodological choices. Specifically, it examines the association between these conceptions and factors such as age, parent–child discussions about death, parental beliefs (religiosity, spirituality, belief in an afterlife), as well as gender, death-related experiences, and socioeconomic background. The sample consisted of 180 children and adolescents aged 5–16 years and their parents, along with 30 adults included for comparative purposes. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with children and adolescents, using a revised version of the Death Concept Interview, and questionnaires for parents. The findings confirmed a clear developmental progression in the biological understanding of death, with significant advances observed between 9 and 12 years, whereas beliefs regarding psychological continuity after death remained relatively stable across age groups. Parents’ biological explanations were associated with stronger biological understanding in early childhood, whereas their metaphysical explanations were related to stronger beliefs in psychological continuity after death in middle childhood. Parents’ religiosity and belief in an afterlife were positively associated with children’s attribution of psychological continuity after death in middle childhood. The use of open-ended questions and a sequential, multi-level methodological approach contributed significantly to the in-depth investigation of the topic, highlighting latent aspects of biological understanding, as well as the coexistence of biological and metaphysical explanations as a dominant cognitive pattern rather than as an indication of conceptual confusion. The results underscore the importance of methodologically sensitive tools and contribute to the design of developmentally appropriate educational practices and interventions.

The steadily rising prevalence of children diagnosed with autism –estimated at one in 100 according to the World Health Organization (2024)– underscores the imperative for educators to cultivate classrooms that are welcoming, psychologically safe, and pedagogically responsive, so that students become sensitized, develop empathy, and enact positive attitudes and behaviors toward classmates with autism, given that school constitutes the pre-eminent context for children’s encounter, interaction, and co-existence. The present study reports the design, implementation, and evaluation of a pilot awareness-raising program intended to enhance peer acceptance of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through the use of an illustrated children’s book. The program was implemented in a single third-grade primary school classroom (N = 15). Prior to and following implementation, semi-structured individual interviews –based on standardized questionnaires– were conducted to examine students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding ASD. The intervention sought to support typically developing children in (a) increasing their knowledge about ASD and (b) adopting more positive attitudes toward peers with ASD. The book All My Stripes by Rudolph and Royer (2015) was used, together with guided discussion and complementary activities (games, crafts, songs, and dramatization). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis (inductive and deductive approach). Findings indicated a marked improvement in children’s cognitive understanding of core characteristics of ASD, alongside heightened acceptance and empathy toward peers with ASD. Emotional shifts, strengthened moral sensitivity, and an increased willingness to form friendships and engage in social interaction were also observed. Notably, gender-related patterns emerged: girls exhibited greater stability in their positive attitudes, whereas boys demonstrated a larger magnitude of improvement following the intervention. Overall, the pilot program underscored the potential of children’s literature and an explicitly empathetic pedagogical stance to promote inclusive attitudes in primary school settings.