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Background: Piliostigma reticulatum (Fabaceae) is a plant used in Cameroon for the treatment of madness and migraine. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the memory-enhancing and antioxidant activities of the hydroethanolic leaves extract of PR in the monosodium glutamate-induced Alzheimer's disease model. Materials and Methods: The Y-maze, Radial-arm maze and Novel object recognition tests were used to assess short, and long-term memory. At the end of the experiments, the brains of mice were scavenged for biochemical and histological analysis. Results: It was observed that the hydroalcoholic extract of PR leaf significantly reversed the percentage of spontaneous alternation compared to the negative control group at the different doses tested (p

Οι μητέρες κατά τη διάρκεια της γαλουχίας μπορεί να αντιμετωπίσουν εμπόδια όπως η έναρξη φαρμακευτικής αγωγής λόγω χρόνιου νοσήματος ή οξείας ασθένειας με επιπτώσεις που αφορούν κυρίως στη διάρκεια του θηλασμού. Σε αυτές τις περιπτώσεις, προκύπτει το ζήτημα της συμβατότητας των χορηγούμενων φαρμάκων με το θηλασμό και η απόφαση που λαμβάνει η μητέρα εξαρτάται από την πληροφόρηση που θα λάβει από τον εξειδικευμένο επαγγελματία υγείας. Η παροχή επιστημονικά έγκυρων πληροφοριών σχετικά με τα οφέλη του θηλασμού και τον κίνδυνο έκθεσης του νεογνού/βρέφους στα φάρμακα μέσω του μητρικού γάλακτος, αποτελεί χρέος των επαγγελματιών υγείας. Υπάρχουν ποικίλες αξιόπιστες πηγές για τη συμβατότητα των φαρμάκων με το θηλασμό, παρόλα ταύτα οι μεταξύ τους πληροφορίες είναι αντικρουόμενες ή και ανεπαρκείς, με αποτέλεσμα να δυσχεραίνεται το έργο των επαγγελματιών υγείας στην άσκηση συμβουλευτικής. Με σκοπό να καταστεί η χρήση των φαρμάκων ασφαλής κατά τη διάρκεια του θηλασμού, και δεδομένου ότι οι θηλάζουσες μητέρες εξαιρούνται των κλινικών μελετών διότι θεωρούνται ευάλωτος πληθυσμός, η επιστημονική κοινότητα στράφηκε σε εναλλακτικές μεθόδους που βασίζονται στην φαρμακοκινητική μοντελοποίηση του πληθυσμού. Επιπλέον, μέσω της επιστήμης της φαρμακοεπαγρύπνησης, οι βάσεις δεδομένων που σχετίζονται με τη συμβατότητα των φαρμάκων με το θηλασμό μπορούν να εμπλουτιστούν με καινούργια στοιχεία. Αδιαμφισβήτητα, η συμβολή των μαιών και των λοιπών επαγγελματιών υγείας που σχετίζονται με το μητρικό θηλασμό παίζει καθοριστικό ρόλο στο έργο της φαρμακοεπαγρύπνησης μέσω της παρατήρησης και αναφοράς των ανεπιθύμητων ενεργειών των φαρμάκων που χορηγούνται στις θηλάζουσες. Απώτερος στόχος είναι η υποστήριξη και συνέχιση του μητρικού θηλασμού με γνώσεις που βασίζονται στην τεκμηρίωση.

Resumen Objetivos Se ha asociado la depresion perinatal de la madre a un vinculo madre-hijo deficiente. Se ha reportado el efecto adverso de la deficiencia de dicho vinculo. El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar y comparar los sintomas depresivos posnatales y el vinculo madre-hijo en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales (UCIN), y las madres con neonatos sanos, respectivamente. Y, en segundo lugar, explorar la asociacion entre la sintomatologia depresiva y los vinculos en ambos grupos. Metodos En este estudio de casos se selecciono a madres que se encontraban en el periodo posparto temprano, que habian dado a luz en el mismo centro perinatal de Grecia. Los casos consistieron en 88 madres de neonatos que fueron hospitalizados en la UCIN y 100 controles, consistentes en madres de neonatos sanos a termino. Para la recopilacion de los datos se utilizaron cuestionarios que incluian datos demograficos y variables perinatales. Para la evaluacion del vinculo y la situacion posnatal, se utilizaron la Mother to Infant Bonding Scale, el Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire y la Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Resultados Existio una diferencia significativa entre las puntuaciones sobre el vinculo de las madres de la UCIN y el grupo control (t = –2,696, p = 0,008). Las madres de la UCIN presentaron menores puntuaciones en terminos de vinculo con los neonatos, en comparacion con el grupo control, y presentaron puntuaciones mas altas de depresion en comparacion con los controles (χ2 = 28,588, p = 0,000). Las puntuaciones sobre depresion guardaron relacion con las puntuaciones sobre vinculos en ambos grupos. Discusion El ingreso en la UCIN tiene un impacto sobre el vinculo e interactua de alguna manera con la salud mental posparto de la madre. Por ello se hace necesaria mas investigacion. Conclusiones Las madres de la UCIN se han mostrado mas vulnerables que las madres de bebes sanos, ya que han expresado un menor vinculo madre-hijo y puntuaciones mas altas de depresion. El apoyo a estas madres vulnerables y la facilitacion de vinculos madre-hijo por parte del personal de la UCIN es de la mayor importancia.

This study aimed to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of the ethanolic leaf extract of Crassocephalum crepidioides (Cc) on diazepam-induced amnesia in mice. Thirty mice distributed into six groups of five mice each were used. The normal control and negative control groups received 2% ethanol per os, the positive control group received piracetam (150 mg/kg, p.o), and three experimental groups were treated with three doses of ethanolic leaf extract of Cc (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, p.o). All groups except the normal control group were co-treated with diazepam (3 mg/kg, i.p) daily for 14 days. The memory effects were evaluated using the Radial Arm Maze (RAM) and the Novel Object Recognition (NOR) tests, while the anti-depressive effects were evaluated using the tail suspension test. All animals were sacrificed at the end of the study. Hippocampi, isolated from the right hemisphere, were used to prepare a homogenate for the determination of oxidative stress biomarkers. The ethanolic leaf extract of cc significantly ( p < 0.001 ) decreased the number of working and reference memory errors in the RAM test and induced a significant ( p < 0.01 ) increase in the time spent exploring the novel object in the NOR test. The extract also induced a significant ( p < 0.001 ) increase in the mobility time in tail suspension. Moreover, compared to the negative control group, the extract significantly ( p < 0.01 ) increased superoxide dismutase activity and significantly ( p < 0.01 ) decreased malondialdehyde levels. The histopathological analysis of hippocampi showed that the cc extract increased cell density when compared with the negative control. These results suggest that the ethanolic left extract of cc could have neuroprotective properties, which could be attributed to its antioxidant properties.

The potential yield of maize (Zea mays L.) and other major crops is curtailed by several biotic, abiotic, and socio-economic constraints. Parasitic weeds, Striga spp., are major constraints to cereal and legume crop production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Yield losses reaching 100% are reported in maize under severe Striga infestation. Breeding for Striga resistance has been shown to be the most economical, feasible, and sustainable approach for resource-poor farmers and for being environmentally friendly. Knowledge of the genetic and genomic resources and components of Striga resistance is vital to guide genetic analysis and precision breeding of maize varieties with desirable product profiles under Striga infestation. This review aims to present the genetic and genomic resources, research progress, and opportunities in the genetic analysis of Striga resistance and yield components in maize for breeding. The paper outlines the vital genetic resources of maize for Striga resistance, including landraces, wild relatives, mutants, and synthetic varieties, followed by breeding technologies and genomic resources. Integrating conventional breeding, mutation breeding, and genomic-assisted breeding [i.e., marker-assisted selection, quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, next-generation sequencing, and genome editing] will enhance genetic gains in Striga resistance breeding programs. This review may guide new variety designs for Striga-resistance and desirable product profiles in maize.

Oral cavity cancers are part of the upper aerodigestive tract cancers and represent a significant burden worldwide. Its epidemiology varies from country to country with high frequencies in South East Asian countries. Tobacco and alcohol are the main risk factors. Survival of oral cancer is low i.e., less than 40% in the advanced stage (stage III and IV), diagnosis of oral cavity cancer is based on a complete clinical examination of the oral cavity complete with biopsy, bio-markers are an adjunct to screening and diagnosis of oral cavity cancers, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy are part of the therapeutic armamentarium of oral cancer but also have limitations. Traditional medicine is an important and proven alternative in the treatment and support of patients with oral cavity cancer. Prevention of oral cavity cancers includes not only early detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions but also control of risk factors and education of the population. Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy are part of the therapeutic strategy of oral cancer treatment but also have limitations. Traditional Medicine is an important and proven alternative in the treatment and support of patients with oral cavity cancer. It is thus desirable to scientifically validate phytochemicals in order to integrate alternative medicine as part of national cancer management strategy. In silico advanced studies on secondary metabolites of medicinal plants traditionally used to treat oral cancer are in progress.

This reactivity study was performed on seven molecules of a 2,3-dihydro-1H-perimidine series using density functional theory at the B3LYP / 6-311 G (d, p) level. Calculation of the dipole moment showed that compound 4 is more soluble in aqueous medium. The study of frontier molecular orbitals, in particular the energy gap (ΔE), electronegativity (c), chemical hardness (η) and the electrophilic index (ω) has provided a better overview molecular properties. Thus, the compound 5 with the highest energy gap between the boundary orbitals is the most stable and the least reactive. Analysis of local descriptors and the electrostatic potential map identified nitrogen atoms N26 and N28 as the preferred sites of electrophilic attack and the carbon atom C26 as the preferred site of nucleophilic attack.

How do legislators respond to constituents' requests? Recent studies showcase that US legislators are particularly responsive to their voters, even tailoring their messages toward them. But little research investigates if these findings hold for parliamentary systems which are characterized by high party discipline forcing legislators to fall in line. We theorize that in such systems legislators use their party as a shield if their opinion contradicts their constituents' positional wishes. We test our argument in an audit study involving both legislators and actual voters during the Brexit negotiations in 2019 in the United Kingdom. Contrary to conventional wisdom about party-dominated systems we find no evidence that MPs are less responsive to correspondence from party-incongruent constituents nor that they use their party as a shield. These null findings have important implications for our understanding of how legislative behavior in parliamentary systems is (not) constrained by party discipline.

Numerous studies have been carried out on the structure of 2,3-dihydro-1H-perimidine substituted as compounds with various biological activities. Researchers have found that these compounds exhibit characteristics potentially useful in medicinal chemistry research and have many therapeutic applications. In this work, we carried out a study using descriptors of the conceptual DFT in order to determine the atoms responsible for the chelation of certain metals (zinc, copper, iron ...) in order to propose new stable molecules complexed with these metals. Calculations were performed to determine the local reactivity of substituted 2,3-dihydro-1H-perimidine using Fukui functions by the Natural Population Analysis method. Overall parameters were also determined to predict the relative stability and reactivity of substituted 2,3-dihydro-1H-perimidine. This work was carried out at the calculation level B3LYP / 6-311G (d, p). Compound 2 with an energy difference from the frontier orbitals of ΔEgap = 4.031 eV is the most polarizable. Also, the study of frontier orbitals locates HOMO on the function of substituted 2,3-dihydro-1H-perimidine. Analysis of local reactivity indices as well as of the dual descriptor revealed that nitrogen N17 and N19 are the most favorable sites for electrophilic attack.

Background and Aim: The 1H-perimidne, as novel source carbene ligand, is well known for its anti-fungal, anti-microbial or anti-tumor activities. Here, we aimed to study the acute toxicity in Wistar rat of 2-(2,3-dihydro-1H-perimidin-2-yl)-6-methoxyphenol, a new heterocyclic 1H- perimidine synthetized in our laboratory. Materials and Methods: Five groups of males Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with 7 mg/kg, 40 mg/kg, 90 mg/kg, 130 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and followed during 14 days. We noted any clinical signs of acute toxicity as body weight loss, salivation, tremor, convulsion among others, as well as food consumption and water intake level. Results: The DL50 of the new 2-(2,3-dihydro-1H-perimidin-2-yl)-6-methoxyphenol was estimated to 65 mg/kg. The No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) dose was 7 mg/kg because it did not caused mortality, clinical signs of acute toxicity, and not affected feed and water intake behavior. However, significant abnormalities as inflammation and necrosis were observed at doses-effects dependent in liver, when compared to NOAEL dose and vehicle. Conclusion: The new heterocyclic 2-(2,3-dihydro-1H-perimidin-2-yl)-6-methoxyphenol is considered as high toxicity grade product. From NOAEL dose, subsequent biological, toxicological, pharmacological and neurobehavioral studies are needed before using for clinical trials.

In the present work, the inorganic content of different milk samples is investigated by Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) technique. Milk samples of different animal origin, in liquid, lyophilized powder, and ashed forms were studied using both infrared (1064 nm) and visible (532 nm) laser excitation conditions and the optimum experimental conditions for the measurement of the inorganic elements present in low concentration, were determined. Spectral features of major (Ca, Na, Mg and K) and minor minerals (P, Zn, Cu and Si) were detected and identified. The LIBS results for the different milk samples were found to correlate perfectly with the results obtained from atomic absorption measurements, demonstrating the potential of LIBS technique for the fast and in-situ qualitative characterization of the inorganic content of different animal origin milk samples.

From (2,3-dihydro-1H-perimidin-2-yl)-phenyl, the substitution of OH group in ortho or para position on the phenyl ring, allows us to synthesize the studied compounds. These three compounds have been characterized by conventional spectroscopic methods (NMR and MS). The interest of this work is to review the antioxidant activity of our compounds. The antioxidant activity screening carried out according to FRAP and DPPH methods revealed significant anti-free radical properties for compounds 1 and 2 even at low concentrations. In contrast to the compound 2, compound 3 for which the OH group is substituted in para position has the lowest activity in both cases. Therefore the para position seems to be the least sensitive position to increase the antioxidant activity of this pharmacophore.

Background: Arthrofibrosis is a complication of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) that can lead to poor outcome. Idiopathic arthrofibrosis and Dupuytren disease (DD) have similar histological appearance. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of DD on the recovery of motion after TKAy. Methods: Patients older than 50 who underwent a TKA for primary osteoarthritis were examined 1 year later for the presence of DD. They were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of DD. The groups were compared to each other with regard to arc of motion (AOM) of the operated knee at 6 weeks and 1 year; the need for additional measures to improve the AOM, and the effect of obesity [body mass index (BMI) > 30]. Results: The study included 61 patients of which 25 (41%) had DD. There was no difference in AOM at 6 weeks or 1 year between the two groups. Patients in the DD group required a greater number of additional measures to improve AOM. Also, non-obese patients (BMI < 30) in the DD group had lower AOM at 1 year. Conclusions: Patients in the DD group needed additional physiotherapy or manipulation under anaesthesia (MUA) to achieve the same AOM. This might indicate a possible connection between DD and post-operative stiffness of the knee. Identifying patients with DD in the pre-operative period may help recognise patients who may have difficulty in regaining AOM after TKA. Level of Evidence: Level III (Therapeutic)

Introduction. Although there is a wide variety of bone grafting materials for the augmentation of the deficient alveolar ridge, autogenous bone is still considered to be the gold standard. There are various methods for harvesting autologous bone grafts. Among these, Safescraper® is conveniently used as a harvesting device of autogenous cortical bone in oral Implantology and reconstructive surgery, ensuring high volumes of grafting material with a minimally invasive and predictable procedure. Purpose. The purpose of this presentation is to showcase the clinical applications of Safescraper® in various augmentation procedures and to review the existing literature for the evidence supporting its application in clinical practice. Materials and Methods. In the presented cases, Safescraper® provided surface-derived autogenous bone graft deriving from the maxillary tuberosity, the zygomatic buttress, the lateral sinus wall, the pyriform aperture of the nose, the external oblique ridge and the mandibular symphysis. The collected autogenous bone has been mixed either with xenograft, or autologous venous blood, or platelet-rich fibrin and used in procedures such as: Maxillary sinus floor elevation, Reconstruction of periimplant defects, Reconstruction of alveolar ridge defects with onlay autogenous blocks, or bone rings, Ridge augmentations using resorbable collagen membranes, titanium-reinforced non-resorbable membranes or titanium meshes, Ridge augmentations using the Khoury technique. Results. Satisfactory amounts of autogenous bone have been harvested in all cases. The bone harvesting procedure was swift, reliable and devoid of any complications. Conclusion. Safescraper® is an extremely useful, cost-effective and minimally invasive device for collecting bone to adequately cover the needs in autogenous grafts everyday clinical practice.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound contains two independent mol­ecules, consisting of perimidine and phenol units, which are linked through an N—H⋯O hydrogen bond. Intra­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds are observed in both independent mol­ecules., The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C17H14N2O, contains two independent mol­ecules each consisting of perimidine and phenol units. The tricyclic perimidine units contain naphthalene ring systems and non-planar C4N2 rings adopting envelope conformations with the C atoms of the NCN groups hinged by 44.11 (7) and 48.50 (6)° with respect to the best planes of the other five atoms. Intra­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds may help to consolidate the mol­ecular conformations. The two independent mol­ecules are linked through an N—H⋯O hydrogen bond. The Hirshfeld surface analysis of the crystal structure indicates that the most important contributions for the crystal packing are from H⋯H (52.9%) and H⋯C/C⋯H (39.5%) inter­actions. Hydrogen bonding and van der Waals inter­actions are the dominant inter­actions in the crystal packing. Density functional theory (DFT) optimized structures at the B3LYP/ 6–311 G(d,p) level are compared with the experimentally determined mol­ecular structure in the solid state. The HOMO–LUMO behaviour was elucidated to determine the energy gap.

Greater amberjack is one of the major candidate species for aquaculture diversification; however, with the exception of sporadic data on the proximate (PC) and fatty acid (FA) composition, limited knowledge exists regarding the quality variations occurring between wild and reared Greater amberjack. To expand this knowledge, the current study examined, besides the PC and FA composition of raw tissue, the volatile compounds (VC) and sensory profiles of cooked tissue. The studied specimens originated both from the wild and from aquaculture and were of small commercial size (0.5–1 kg). The FA profiles varied with most profound differences being the lower n-6/n-3 ratio and the higher arachidonic (ARA) and docohexaenoic acid (DHA) proportions of wild counterparts. A superior lipid quality was found for reared fish, which was attributed, among other reasons to their significantly (p

This study aimed to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of the ethanolic leaf extract of

Crateva adansonii (CA) is traditionally used in the treatment of epilepsy and memory loss. This work aims to evaluate the antidepressant and anxiolytic activities of the dichloromethane/methanol extract of CA trunk bark in a chronic unpredictable stress-induced depression (UCMS) model in mice. After exposure of mice to UCMS for 42 days, anhedonia was assessed using the sucrose preference test, antidepressant effects by the forced swim and caudal suspension tests, anxiolytic effects by the light/dark compartment (LDB) and open arena (OF) tests. Oxidative stress parameters Malondialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), and Reduced Glutathione (GSH) were assessed. The results showed that multiple administrations of C. adansonii extract (150 and 300 mg/kg, resulted in a significant increase from 38.5% to 64.9% (p

Background: Secondary PTSD is defined as the natural, consequential behaviors and emotions that result from knowledge about a traumatic event experienced by a significant other deriving from working with suffering individuals. Pediatric health providers with symptoms of PTSD report problems with relationships and general life dissatisfaction as well as and anxiety, depression and burnout syndrome. Aim: The aim of this systematic review was to estimate the risk of developing secondary PTSD among pediatric health care providers as well as all additional contributing factors. In more detail, we investigated the PTSD symptomatology between pediatric health care providers and the extent to which parameters such as the job, gender, department and other factors had an impact on the mental health status of pediatric health care providers. Methodology: We searched all published English papers in PubMed, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library from September to November 2022. We excluded reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses as well as letters to editors. From a total of 748 papers, we included only 12 research articles that met the admission criteria. Results: According to our results, the prevalence of secondary PTSD ranges from 13% to 94%. Burnout, nurses, the female gender, intensive care units, past traumatic life events and a psychiatric history identified as factors contributing to the development of secondary PTSD. Conclusions: Health policy-makers should take the specificity in the working environment of the pediatric sector seriously into consideration, especially emergency departments.

Sludges from the papermaking industry represent a challenging residue stream that is difficult to dewater using conventional processes. The successful development and scale-up of innovative processes from lab- to pilot- to industrial-scale are required to tackle challenges for waste treatment, including paper sludges. Biological paper sludge was treated via a mild hydrothermal carbonization process (TORWASH®) to improve dewaterability of the sludge, including long-duration, continuous testing. Initial lab-scale experiments indicated the optimal treatment temperature for sludge dewatering was 190 °C. Dewaterability improved with increasing temperature, but the obtained solid yield decreased. Scaling-up to a continuous flow pilot plant required a temperature of 200 °C to achieve optimum dewatering. Pilot-scale hydrothermal treatment and dewatering resulted in solid cakes with an average dry matter content of 38% and a solid yield of 39%. This study demonstrates the benefits of hydrothermal carbonization for the dewatering of biological paper sludge without the use of dewatering aids such as fiber sludge or polyelectrolytes. The results also demonstrate the successful adaptation of a lab-scale batch process to a pilot-scale continuous flow process for hydrothermal carbonization of industrial wastewater sludge. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 884226.

Mass vaccination against COVID-19 is necessary to control the pandemic. COVID-19 vaccines are now recommended during pregnancy to prevent the disease. A systematic review of the literature in the electronic databases PubMed and EMBASE was performed and we aimed to investigate the attitude of documents towards COVID-19 vaccination and the prognostic factors of vaccination hesitation. A meta-analysis was also conducted to estimate the overall percentage of pregnant women who were willing to be vaccinated or had been vaccinated against COVID-19. A total of 18 studies were included in the review and meta-analysis. The acceptance rate of vaccination against COVID-19 among pregnant women ranged from 17.6% to 84.5%. The pooled proportion of acceptance of vaccination against COVID-19 in pregnant women was 0.53 (95% CI: 0.44–0.61). Predictors of acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination were older age, White race, occupational status, higher level of education, comorbidities, third trimester of pregnancy, influenza vaccination, knowledge about COVID-19, and confidence that vaccines for COVID-19 are safe and effective. The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women is low. Targeted information campaigns are needed to increase vaccine education in this population.

Eutrophic coastal regions are highly productive and greatly influenced by human activities. Primary production supporting the coastal ecosystems is supposed to be affected by progressive ocean acidification driven by increasing CO2 emissions. In order to investigate the effects of high pCO2 (HC) on eutrophic plankton community structure and ecological functions, we employed 9 mesocosms and carried out an experiment under ambient (∼410 ppmv) and future high (1000 ppmv) atmospheric pCO2 conditions, using in situ plankton community in Wuyuan Bay, East China Sea. Our results showed that HC along with natural seawater temperature rise significantly boosted biomass of diatoms with decreased abundance of dinoflagellates in the late stage of the experiment, demonstrating that HC repressed the succession from diatoms to dinoflagellates, a phenomenon observed during algal blooms in the East China Sea. HC did not significantly influence the primary production or biogenic silica contents of the phytoplankton assemblages. However, the HC treatments increased the abundance of viruses and heterotrophic bacteria, reflecting a refueling of nutrients for phytoplankton growth from virus-mediated cell lysis and bacterial degradation of organic matters. Conclusively, our results suggest that increasing CO2 concentrations can modulate plankton structure including the succession of phytoplankton community and the abundance of viruses and bacteria in eutrophic coastal waters, which may lead to altered biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrients.

Different streams of low-grade biomass of different origins (road side grass, miscanthus, wheat straw and spruce bark) were upgraded to reasonable quality commodity fuels by significantly reducing the alkali and chlorine content, through washing with water in a first step and torrefaction in a second. The aim was to produce a cleaner fuel with a higher energy content for further densification. The final goal was to demonstrate the improvements attained by the upgrading process during combustion using the lab-scale combustion simulator facility of ECN part of TNO. Analyses of the original, washed and washed/torrefied samples showed that approximately 90% of Cl and up to 60–80% of K can be removed by this upgrading route; during the torrefaction step Cl and S are removed from the solids; during torrefaction K and Na are not significantly altered; the pre-wash step is crucial for the removal of K. Si and Ca remain largely in the solid fraction; post-wash seems to be a viable route to upgrade dry-type of biomasses; “straw” like material requires more time for washing than “grass” type. The combustion results showed that: NOx emissions are generally decreased after upgrading; High temperature chlorine corrosion can be effectively mitigated; Fine particulate matter (submicron/aerosols) formation is strongly reduced, effectively reducing the risk of alkali induced fouling. However, slagging tests revealed that pre-washing and torrefaction has minor impact on the slagging propensity of the fuel. Only, slightly reduced slagging is observable and therefore the use of mineral combustion additives, or smart blending with other fuels in order to further mitigate the slagging risks is strongly recommended.

Fluoropyrimidine-based regimens are among the most commonly used chemotherapy combinations for the treatment of solid tumors. Several genetic polymorphisms that are implicated with fluoropyrimidine anabolism and catabolism have been associated with the development of life-threatening toxicities. Uridine triacetate is an FDA-approved antidote for 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine overdose and early-onset, life-threatening toxicity within 96 h of last chemotherapy dose. To date, it is not accessible for Greek patients as per the current summary of product characteristic's time restrictions. We report and discuss the course and outcome of capecitabine toxicity in a 66-year-old female colorectal cancer patient with heterozygous dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency. This paper highlights the difficulty in timely access of this lifesaving medication for Greek and possibly other European patients.

Neonatal skin care practices are considered crucial for a neonate’s survival and are closely related to healthcare professionals’ (HPs) knowledge and skills in delivering scientifically valid neonatal care interventions. In this descriptive cross-sectional pilot study, conducted in 2022, we aimed to assess HPs’ basic theoretical knowledge of neonatal vernix caseosa, skin microbiota, and bathing as well as knowledge regarding evidence-based clinical practices (referred to as “clinical knowledge”) for preterm neonatal skin care. Eligible participants were neonatologists, pediatricians, obstetricians, midwives and nurses working in the Greek setting. The research instrument was an online questionnaire designed by the research team. Finally, 123 HPs took part in the study. The theoretical, clinical and total knowledge scores were all significantly associated with age, healthcare profession and the sources used for education. Participants’ theoretical and clinical knowledge scores were compared and found not to differ significantly (p = 0.566). A significant and positive correlation was found between theoretical and clinical knowledge scores. Thus, it is concluded that HPs should be updated with the latest evidence-based knowledge and clinical guidelines in order to provide neonatal skin care with high-quality standards.

Maternal perinatal depression has been associated with impaired mother-infant bonding. The adverse effect of this impaired bonding has been reported. This study aimed to investigate and compare the posnatal depressive symptoms and the mother-infant bonding in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and of mothers with healthy newborns respectively. Secondly, was to explore the association between depressive symptomatology and bonding in both groups.In this case study, mothers in the early pospartum period who gave birth in the same perinatal center of Greece were recruited to participate. The cases consisted of 88 mothers of neonates who were hospitalized in the NICU and controls were 100 mothers of full-term healthy neonates. For the collection of the data questionnaires including demographics and perinatal variables were used. For the bonding and posnatal assessment, the Mother to Infant Bonding Scale, the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used.There was a significant difference between the mean of bonding scores of NICU mothers and the control group (t = -2.696, P = 0.008). NICU mothers presented lower scores in bonding with the newborn compared to the control group and presented higher depression scores compared to those of controls (χA NICU admission has an impact on bonding and in some way interacts with maternal pospartum mental health, therefore more research is needed.NICU mothers have been presented as more vulnerable than mothers of healthy infants since they expressed a lower mother-infant bonding and higher depression scores. The support of these vulnerable mothers and the facilitation of mother-infant bonding by the NICU staff is of utmost importance.

Synechococcus is a major contributor to the primary production in tropic and subtropical oceans worldwide. Responses of this picophytoplankton to changing light and CO2 levels is of general concern to understand its ecophysiology in the context of ocean global changes. We grew Synechococcus sp. (WH7803), originally isolated from subtropic North Atlantic Ocean, under different PAR levels for about 15 generations and examined its growth, photochemical performance and the response of these parameters to elevated CO2 (1,000 μatm). The specific growth rate increased from 6 μmol m–2 s–1 to reach a maximum (0.547 ± 0.026) at 25 μmol m–2 s–1, and then became inhibited at PAR levels over 50 μmol m–2 s–1, with light use efficiency (α) and photoinhibition coefficient (β) being 0.093 and 0.002, respectively. When the cells were grown at ambient and elevated CO2 concentration (400 vs. 1,000 μatm), the high-CO2 grown cells showed significantly enhanced rates of electron transport and quantum yield as well as significant increase in specific growth rate at the limiting and inhibiting PAR levels. While the electron transport rate significantly increased at the elevated CO2 concentration under all tested light levels, the specific growth did not exhibit significant changes under the optimal growth light condition. Our results indicate that Synechococcus WH7803 grew faster under the ocean acidification (OA) treatment induced by CO2 enrichment only under limiting and inhibiting light levels, indicating the interactive effects and implying that the picophytoplankton respond differentially at different depths while exposing changing light conditions.

In the present work, the emission and the absorption spectra of numerous Greek olive oil samples and mixtures of them, obtained by two spectroscopic techniques, namely Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Absorption Spectroscopy, and aided by machine learning algorithms, were employed for the discrimination/classification of olive oils regarding their geographical origin. Both emission and absorption spectra were initially preprocessed by means of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and were subsequently used for the construction of predictive models, employing Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Support Vector Machines (SVM). All data analysis methodologies were validated by both “k-fold” cross-validation and external validation methods. In all cases, very high classification accuracies were found, up to 100%. The present results demonstrate the advantages of machine learning implementation for improving the capabilities of these spectroscopic techniques as tools for efficient olive oil quality monitoring and control.

Hydrothermal treatment can convert paper mill biological (bio-) sludge waste into more energy-dense hydrochar, which can achieve energy savings and fossil CO2emissions reduction when used for metallurgical applications. This study assesses the basic, combustion and safety performance of bio-sludge hydrochar (BSHC) to evaluate its feasibility of use in blast furnace injection processes. When compared to bituminous and anthracite coals, BSHC has high volatile matter and ash content, and low fixed carbon content, calorific value and ignition point. The Tiand Tfvalues of BSHC are lower and the combustion time longer compared to coal. The R0.5value of BSHC is 5.27 × 10−4s−1, indicating a better combustion performance than coal. A mixture of BSHC and anthracite reduces the ignition point and improves the ignition and combustion performance of anthracite: an equal mixture of BSHC and anthracite has a R0.5of 3.35 × 10−4s−1. The explosiveness of BSHC and bituminous coal is 800 mm, while the explosiveness of anthracite is 0 mm. A mixture of 30% BSHC in anthracite results in a maximum explosiveness value of 10 mm, contributing to safer use of BSHC. Mixing BSHC and anthracite is promising for improving combustion performance in a blast furnace while maintaining safe conditions. Future Feedstock Flexible Carbon Upgrading to Bio Energy Dispatchable carriers— F-CUBED. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 884226.

Olives are characterized by a wide variety of volatile compounds, which are primarily products of microbial metabolism that contribute to the organoleptic characteristics of the final product and especially to its flavor. The volatilome in Spanish-style processed green olives of Conservolea and Halkidiki cultivars were analytically characterized. A solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) technique was used for the extraction of volatile components from the olive samples that were further identified and quantified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Eighty-eight (88) compounds were identified, including several aldehydes, ketones, acids, terpenes, but mainly esters and alcohols. Results showed that there were no significant differences in the qualitative composition of the volatile profiles between the two varieties. Acetic and propanoic acids, thymol, ethanol, 2-butanol, 1-propanol, ethyl acetate as well as ethyl propanoate were the most dominant compounds found in both cultivars. However, some quantitative differences were spotted between the two varieties regarding some of the identified volatile compounds. The quantity of 2-butanol was higher in the Halkidiki variety, while propanoic acid ethyl ester was found in higher amounts in the Conservolea variety. Furthermore, differences in the quantities of some volatile compounds over time were observed. Most of the identified compounds presented an increasing trend during storage.

Background Tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (tdEVs) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of metastatic cancer patients associate with poor outcomes. In this study, we explored the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression on CTCs and tdEVs of metastatic breast cancer patients. Methods Blood samples from 98 patients (CLCC-IC-2006-04 study) were originally processed with the CellSearch® system using the CTC kit and anti-HER2 as an additional marker in the staining cocktail. CTCs and tdEVs were automatically enumerated from the generated CellSearch images using the open-source ACCEPT software. Results CTCs and tdEVs were subdivided based on their cytokeratin (CK) and HER2 phenotype into CK+HER2−, CK−HER2+, and CK+HER2+. The inclusion of anti-HER2 increased the percentage of informative samples with ≥ 1 detectable CTC from 89 to 95%. CK− CTCs and tdEVs correlated equally well with the clinical outcome as CK+ CTCs and tdEVs. Inter- and intra-patient heterogeneity was found for the CTC/tdEV phenotypes, and the presence of 2 or 3 classes of CTCs/tdEVs was associated with worse prognosis compared to a uniform CTC/tdEV phenotype present (1 class). The use of ≥ 7% HER2+CK+ tdEVs can predict HER2 expression of the tissue with 74% sensitivity and specificity using the HER2 amplification status of the primary tumor as a classification variable. Conclusions HER2 can be detected on CTCs and tdEVs not expressing CK, and these CK− CTCs/tdEVs have similar clinical relevance to CTCs and tdEVs expressing CK. tdEVs perform better than CTCs in predicting the HER2 status of the primary tissue. CTC and tdEV heterogeneity in the blood of patients is inversely associated with overall survival.

The title compound consists of perimidin and meth­oxy­phenol units. In the crystal, O—HPhnl⋯NPrmdn and N—HPrmdn⋯OPhnl (Phnl = phenol and Prmdn = perimidine) hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into infinite chains along the b-axis direction. C—H⋯π inter­actions may further stabilize the crystal structure., The title compound, C18H16N2O2, consists of perimidine and meth­oxy­phenol units, where the tricyclic perimidine unit contains a naphthalene ring system and a non-planar C4N2 ring adopting an envelope conformation with the NCN group hinged by 47.44 (7)° with respect to the best plane of the other five atoms. In the crystal, O—HPhnl⋯NPrmdn and N—HPrmdn⋯OPhnl (Phnl = phenol and Prmdn = perimidine) hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into infinite chains along the b-axis direction. Weak C—H⋯π inter­actions may further stabilize the crystal structure. The Hirshfeld surface analysis of the crystal structure indicates that the most important contributions for the crystal packing are from H⋯H (49.0%), H⋯C/C⋯H (35.8%) and H⋯O/O⋯H (12.0%) inter­actions. Hydrogen bonding and van der Waals inter­actions are the dominant inter­actions in the crystal packing. Computational chemistry indicates that in the crystal, the O—HPhnl⋯NPrmdn and N—HPrmdn⋯OPhnl hydrogen-bond energies are 58.4 and 38.0 kJ mol−1, respectively. Density functional theory (DFT) optimized structures at the B3LYP/ 6–311 G(d,p) level are compared with the experimentally determined mol­ecular structure in the solid state. The HOMO–LUMO behaviour was elucidated to determine the energy gap.

The book presents the method and results of the Structured Inclusive Judo Program (SI _Judo) specifically designed to include children or adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in basic Gokyo Judo lessons. It is important to note that Senpai of ASD children in Judo lessons were members of therapeutic community who were practicing in Judo during their therapy. The SI_ Judo has been implemented for 6 months, at a once weekly frequency, in the informal learning environment of “School for All: Tokei Maru” of Include in Thessaloniki Greece, with positive effects on specific psychosocial and psychomotor skills for ASD participants. The effects of SI_Judo ​​ascertained after SI-Judo educational intervention to two ASD children. According to the research methodology, the effects of SI_Judo ​​had been investigated by interviews and questionnaires of parents of ASD children, Senpai calendars and independent and participating observation protocols. According to parents interviews “SI_Judo was a window in their children world” or Si _Judo supported the ASD child to find his position in family and local community”. According the results of Si_Judo the program ​​is suggested as an alternative intervention not only for ASD children or adults but for people of vulnerable groups. Judo is categorized as a sport that exercises the mind along with the body. As it has been defined by Jigoro Kano, Judo is based on the principle of maximum efficiency and as such, functions positively at many levels at the same time. According to results of the SI_judo, Judo could be approached as a kind of intervention to enhance ASD children psychosocial and psychomotor skills. The SI_Judo program “Learn How to fall, Stand Up and Demand” were funded by “Support Points” of big Foundations in Greece.