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In the pursuit of sustainable sources for food, energy, and health products, microalgae have gained attention. In the present study, the lagoonal system of the Nestos River delta was selected as a sampling point in order to search for opportunistic and robust species. Two new strains of Tetraselmis are described with regards to their taxonomic features (as observed using light and transmission electron microscopy and molecular phylogenetics) and their biochemical properties (total lipid, total protein, and total carbohydrate content, photosynthetic pigments, and antioxidant capacity). The studied strains were identified as representatives of Tetraselmis verrucosa f. rubens. Furthermore, both strains exhibited an interesting biochemical profile coupled with high growth rates and promising antioxidant activity, without the use of enhancement and induction culture methods, warranting further investigation and showing potential for biotechnological use.

The topic is Jews in Israel and, in particular, historical facts, identity and social particularities and the latest Basic Law of 2018 titled Israel: Nation ‒ State of the Jewish People. In order to understand how the Jews are included in the framework of the State of Israel and how these Jewish citizens are the building blocks of the political and state framework and fabric, we will refer to historical data of pre-Israel Palestine and the Establishment of the State of Israel Το θέμα είναι οι Ιουδαίοι στο Ισραήλ και, ειδικότερα, ιστορικά στοιχεία, ταυτοτικές και κοινωνικές ιδιαιτερότητες και ο τελευταίος Βασικός Νόμος του 2018 με τίτλο Ισραήλ: Έθνος ‒ Κράτος του Ιουδαϊκού Λαού. Για να κατανοήσουμε το πώς οι Ιουδαίοι εντάσσονται στο κάδρο του Κράτους του Ισραήλ και πως αυτοί οι Ιουδαίοι πολίτες αποτελούν τα δομικά στοιχεία του πολιτειακού και κρατικού πλαισίου και ιστού, θα ανατρέξουμε σε ιστορικά δεδομένα της προ Ισραήλ Παλαιστίνης και της Ίδρυσης του Κράτους του Ισραήλ, Most of the citations and references are in languages other than Greek (e.g. English etc.)

The economic crisis in Greece in 2010–2018 caused a deep recession there. Unemployment rose to very high levels, and social distress increased. In this study, we use publically available internet material to present the many auxiliary activities the Greek Orthodox Church used to respond to the situation. Many of them were typical forms of diaconal activity, but new types of work for the church can also be seen in diocesan activities. The Orthodox Church in Greece does not present all the auxiliary activities in public. However, based on the material available, the article hypothesizes that the role of the Orthodox Church in Greek society has changed during the economic crisis. The church became a supporting factor in society.

The occupation of government power by a leftist party in Greece (in January 2015) has formed a new political landscape and given rise to new political expectations after a long period of administration by the so-called system parties. The left-wing party, SYRIZA, was voted by Greek citizens as a new political force that could bring new policies, as it had the ambition to solve the country’s economic problems, bring social justice and tackle the severe humanitarian crisis caused by the recent long economic crisis. Regarding the religious field, the fixed aim of leftist parties was the separation between the State and the Church, which would lead to the full independence of the State from any religious or ecclesiastical influence, as well as the seizure of church assets by the State, the obligation for the clergy’s payroll to be covered by the Church, and similar demands regarding many other issues that shape the relationship between the State and the Church in Greece. This paper investigates especially the relationship between SYRIZA and the Church of Greece during the one-year period of the left-wing government, through the official discourse and political practices of the governing leftist party. For this purpose, the left-wing government’s political practices and stance towards the “religious issue,” as they are expressed by the party’s official press medium, the Avgi newspaper, are analyzed.

Η διεύρυνση της εκκοσμικευτικής διαδικασίας κατά τη διάρ­κεια της μεταπολιτευτικής περιόδου ο­δηγεί στην καθιέρωση μιας σειράς νομοθετικών αποφάσεων, οι οποίες αφορούν γενικότερα το οικογενειακό δίκαιο και κα­τοχυρώνουν την ισό­τη­τα των φύλων. Η διαδικασία αυτή αντιμετωπίζει τις ενστά­σεις της Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας, η οποία παρεμβαίνει με ποικίλους τρό­πους με στόχο τη διατήρηση της παραδοσιακής κοινωνικής τάξης. Στο άρθρο αυτό διερευνάται η στά­ση της θε­σμικής Εκκλησίας απέναντι στην ισότητα των φύ­λων και την αναγνώ­ρι­ση των δι­και­ω­μά­των των γυναικών, κατά τη διάρκεια της μεταπολιτευτικής περιόδου στην Ελλάδα, με βάση τον επίσημο εκκλη­σι­α­στι­κό λόγο, ο οποίος εκ­φέρεται διά των εγκυκλίων της Ιεράς Συ­νό­δου., The broadening of secularization process during the post-dictatorship period leads to the introduction of a series of legislative decisions, which generally concern family law and safeguard gender equality. This process faces the objections of the Orthodox Church, which intervenes in a variety of ways in order to maintain the traditional social order. This article explores the attitude of the institutional Church towards gender equality and recognition of women's rights during the post-dictatorship period in Greece, and is based on the official ecclesiastical discourse, which is revealed through the Circulars of the Holy Synod.

This paper analyses the dynamics of the religious factor in both the establishment of the Armenian community in Thessaloniki and the local reproduction of Armenianness. The Armenian community of Thessaloniki presents a special interest because in addition to its historical significance it also includes two different groups: on the one hand, the descendants of the first refugees who arrived in Thessaloniki after the end of the First World War and the dramatic events that took place in Turkey; and on the other hand, the new immigrants who arrived in Thessaloniki after the dissolution of the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. Religion and ethnicity, ecclesiastical and communal institutions, old refugees and new immigrants are explored as multiple intersecting axes that structure identity construction within the contemporary Armenian community of Thessaloniki.

The goal of asthma treatment is control of asthma and good quality of life for asthmatic patients; however, many asthmatic patients experience symptoms and limitations.To examine treatment outcome in asthmatic patients under specialist care.Multicenter, cross-sectional study.Four large outpatient asthma clinics in teaching hospitals in three Greek cities.Three hundred seventy-eight randomly selected patients with mild or moderate asthma (265 female patients; mean age, 42.3 years).None.Patients completed a questionnaire structured with eight domains covering patient characteristics, drug use at baseline and during exacerbations, regular follow-up, emergency visits, asthma control, symptoms, and limitations. Results show that the majority of patients have symptoms and limitations in their physical and social activities and have frequent exacerbations, while40% of patients think that their asthma is not well controlled. Most of our patients receive preventive medication (primarily inhaled corticosteroids, but less so long-acting beta2-agonists [LABAs] and leukotriene antagonists), increase their use of medication in case of exacerbations and have regular follow-up. However, the report shows that 48% of patients tried to reduce their medication dose, a fact implying that compliance is not always good.These data indicate that the goals of asthma treatment are not achieved, even under specialist care. Perhaps more effort should be invested in patient education while an increase in the use of LABAs and leukotriene antagonists, medications that have been shown to prevent exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and improve quality of life, may help better asthma outcomes.

Circulating concentrations of the mast cell-associated mediators, histamine and neutrophil chemotactic factor (NCF) of high molecular weight, were measured in atopic and nonatopic asthmatics after treadmill exercise. Elevations in the concentrations of both mediators accompanied the development of exercise-induced asthma (EIA). Normal individuals did not release mediators or develop bronchoconstriction after an identical exercise. The elaboration of mediators was not due to the onset of airflow obstruction, the postexercise basophilia, or the exercise task per se. A treadmill exercise undertaken while inhaling fully conditioned air inhibited EIA and NCF release; in contrast the same exercise undertaken while breathing cold, dry air elicited EIA and the production of mediators. This suggests that the stimulus for EIA and mediator release may be identical. Late-phase asthmatic reactions occur 3 to 9 hr after exercise in some asthmatics and are accompanied by the appearance of circulating NCF, as previously reported in allergen-induced late responses. In addition to the contribution of mediators to the spasmogenic reaction in EIA, mediators may contribute to bronchial inflammation by activating circulating leukocytes. There was a kinetic increase in the expression of neutrophil C3b receptors in EIA (+) asthmatics for up to 60 min after treadmill exercise. The enhancement of C3b receptors, as evidence of neutrophil activation, was preceded by release of NCF and reductions in peak expiratory flow rates. The prior administration of cromolyn inhibited EIA, NCF release, and enhancement of C3b receptors. These changes were not observed in EIA (−) asthmatics after an identical exercise task. These findings support the view that mediators are released in EIA and may play an important role in its pathogenesis.

To determine whether neutrophils are activated after exercise-induced asthma, increases in neutrophil complement receptor numbers (complement receptor enhancement) were measured by the rosette technique. In twelve asthmatic patients there was a time-dependent rise in complement receptor numbers for up to 60 min after treadmill exercise. This enhancement of complement receptors was preceded by a rise in plasma neutrophil chemotactic activity and a reduction in the peak expiratory flow rate. These changes could be inhibited by prior administration of disodium cromoglycate. The changes were not observed in seven asthmatic patients in whom asthma was not induced by an identical exercise task. Complement receptor enhancement was also observed in vitro when partially purified neutrophil chemotactic activity from a patient with exercise-induced asthma was incubated with normal neutrophils. These findings suggest that inflammatory cells are activated after exercise-induced asthma, possibly as a result of the release of neutrophil chemotactic activity and other mast-cell-associated mediators.

Two adults and 13 children with exercise-induced asthma had both immediate and late reductions in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) after treadmill exercise. The late reactions developed 4 to 10 hours after exercise and in each instance were associated with wheezing or chest tightness (or both). Increases in neutrophil chemotactic activity, measured in the 2 adults and in 11 of the children, accompanied the reductions in FEV1 in all these subjects. In contrast, four other adults with only an immediate fall in FEV1 after exercise had only an initial elevation in neutrophil chemotactic activity, with no subsequent increase for the remaining 24-hour period. The agent responsible for the neutrophil chemotactic activity released during exercise-induced late reactions appeared to be identical to that released during immediate reactions. These observations suggest that some patients with exercise-induced asthma have late reactions that, as in the case of antigen-induced bronchoconstriction, are accompanied by the release of neutrophil chemotactic activity.

Four subjects with clinical histories of milk-induced asthma were studied (three allergic to cow's milk; one to soya milk). In each instance, skin prick tests, RAST (IgE and IgG4), the basophil histamine release, and serum precipitins, using appropriate milk extracts, were negative. After the ingestion of milk all the subjects developed a reproducible and dose-dependent increase in airflow limitation. Three patients (two allergic to cow's milk; one to soya milk) gave a characteristic immediate-type reaction, which was maximal at 30 min after challenge. The fourth individual developed an isolated late-phase response, with maximal airways obstruction 3 hr after ingesting milk. In the three subjects who gave an early reaction, wheezing was accompanied by an elevation in circulating neutrophil chemotactic activity (NCA). This was not observed in the individual with the isolated late reaction. By Sephacryl S-400 gel-filtration chromatography it was shown that NCA of the early reactions eluted with proteins having an estimated molecular weight of 600,000 daltons. The immediate asthmatic response in peak expiratory flow rate and the elevation in NCA were inhibited by the prior oral administration of either disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) or oral beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP). In contrast, DSCG had no effect on airways obstruction in the subject with the isolated late asthmatic response, although inhibition was achieved by BDP.