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Homogeneous nucleation is an important source of new particles in the atmosphere worldwide. The resulting newly formed stable nuclei can grow to larger sizes and affect air quality and climate. Unexpected significant spatial variability of the nucleation frequency has been observed in Greece in the only previous relative study: very high frequency in Thessaloniki, intermediate in Eastern Crete and low in Patras (Patoulias et al., 2018). Our hypothesis is that Greece may be an excellent natural laboratory to investigate the factors affecting nucleation and to understand the reasons behind this surprising variability.Extensive continuous aerosol size distribution measurements took place during two summers (2020 and 2021) as part of the PANACEA project in 11 different locations: Patras, Xanthi, Ioannina, Finokalia, Athens, Thessaloniki, Sifnos, Chania, Costa Navarino (NEO), Lesvos and Mt. Helmos. The instrumentation used included a number of scanning mobility particle sizers (SMPS) for the measurement of the particles and a suite of gas monitors for measuring SO2, NOx, NH3 and CO in selected sites. A particle size magnifier (PSM) was deployed in the Patras site during the 2021 campaign, providing valuable information regarding nanoparticles with diameter down to 1 nm.The observations suggest that indeed the nucleation frequency during summer in Greece varies from close to zero in the southwestern parts of the country to more than 70% in the northern central and eastern regions. The analysis of the measurements in the various sites shows that the proximity to coal-fired power plants is a major factor affecting the nucleation frequency. North-eastern and northern airmasses passing over such locations in the Balkans and Western Turkey where strongly associated with nucleation. Also, the emissions of ammonia during summer, suggest that it exhibits similar spatial gradients with the observed nucleation frequency and may be controlling nucleation in Greece. The corresponding measurements in each site, were also used to estimate the corresponding particle growth and formation rates and the condensation and coagulation sinks.The detailed analysis of the measurements in Patras, Western Greece, suggests that nucleation was infrequent in this location (12%), but particles that were formed a few hours earlier over central Greece are often transported to this area after they have grown to sizes of 20-30 nm. The air mass history suggested that new particle formation often took place in the vicinity of an area 100-150 km northeast of Patras, with significant agricultural activity and therefore, high emissions of ammonia and amines. The relatively high emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds in Western Greece where Patras is located, did not appear to assist in the local formation of new particles.

Τhe composition of wintertime urban air in Patras, Greece was investigated during early 2020 focusing on the role of biomass burning. A high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and a Proton Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS) were deployed. Additionally continuous measurements of the aerosol size distribution from 10 nm to 10 μm were performed, as well as measurements of the size-resolved aerosol composition using a Micro-Orifice Uniform-Deposit Impactor, black carbon (BC) concentrations using an SP2, aerosol absorption, brown carbon concentrations, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). A number of low-cost sensors for particles and vapors was also deployed in the city. The PM2.5 concentration peaked during the early evening reaching up to 150 µg m-3. PM1 aerosol (23 µg m-3 on average) was mainly composed of organics (69%) with the rest being BC (11%), sulphate (10%), nitrate (5%), ammonium (4%) and chloride (1%). Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) of the measurements of the AMS indicated that biomass burning due to residential heating was the dominant source of PM1 during the campaign accounting for 53% of the total OA with the rest being the oxygenated organic aerosol (ΟΟΑ) at 25%, the cooking OA (COA) at 12% and the traffic related hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) at 10%. The biomass burning contribution was also evident in several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected by the PTR-MS. Biogenic species such as isoprene and the monoterpenes showed clear relation to wood burning, while most of the aromatic compounds were related both to traffic and wood burning. The latter was also true for other gas species measured such as CO, NOx etc. Biomass burning was also a major contributor to the ROS measured as well as the brown carbon.

Atmospheric brown carbon (BrC) is a highly uncertain, but potentially important contributor to light absorption in the atmosphere. Laboratory and field studies have shown that BrC can be produced from multiple sources, including primary emissions from fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning (BB), as well as secondary formation through a number of reaction pathways. It is currently thought that the dominant source of atmospheric BrC is primary emissions from BB, but relatively few studies demonstrate this in environments with complex source profiles.A field campaign was conducted during a month-long wintertime period in 2020 on the campus of the University of Peloponnese in the southwest of Patras, Greece which represents an urban site. During this time, ambient filter samples (a total of 35 filters) were collected from which the water-soluble BrC was determined using a semi-automated system similar to Hecobian et al. (2010), where absorption was measured over a 1 m path length. To measure the BrC, a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer was coupled to a Liquid Waveguide Capillary Cell and the light absorption intensity was recorded at 365 and 700 nm. The latter was used as a reference wavelength. We found that the average BrC absorption in Patras at a wavelength of 365 nm was 8.5 ± 3.9 Mm-1 suggesting that there was significant BrC in the organic aerosol during this period. Attribution of sources of BrC was done using simultaneous chemical composition data observations (primarily organic carbon, black carbon, and nitrate) combined with Positive Matrix Factorization analysis. This analysis showed that in addition to the important role of biomass burning (a contribution of about 20%) and other combustion emissions (also close to 20%), oxidized organic aerosol (approximately 40%) is also a significant contributor to BrC in the study area.ReferenceHecobian, A., Zhang, X., Zheng, M., Frank, N., Edgerton, E.S., Weber, R.J., 2010. Water-soluble organic aerosol material and the light-absorption characteristics of aqueous extracts measured over the Southeastern United States. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 10, 5965–5977. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-5965-2010

A broad spectrum of novel targeted therapies with prime antitumor activity and/or ample control of hormonal symptoms together with an overall acceptable safety profile have emerged for patients with metastatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). In this systematic review and quantitative meta-analysis, the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and clinicaltrials.gov databases were searched to assess and compare the safety profile of NEN treatments with special focus on the cardiovascular adverse effects of biotherapy and molecular targeted therapies (MTTs). Quality/risk of bias were assessed using GRADE criteria. Placebocontrolled randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in patients with metastatic NENs, including medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) were included. A total of 3695 articles and 122 clinical trials registered in clinicaltrials.gov were screened. We included sixteen relevant RCTs comprising 3408 unique patients assigned to different treatments compared with placebo. All the included studies had a low risk of bias. We identified four drug therapies for NENs with eligible placebo-controlled RCTs: somatostatin analogs (SSAs), tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) inhibitors, mTOR inhibitors and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). Grade 3 and 4 adverse effects (AE) were more often encountered in patients treated with mTOR inhibitors and TKI (odds ratio [OR]: 2.42, 95% CI: 1.87–3.12 and OR: 3.41, 95% CI: 1.46–7.96, respectively) as compared to SSAs (OR:0.77, 95% CI: 0.47–1.27) and TPH inhibitors (OR:0.77, 95% CI: 0.35–1.69). MTOR inhibitors had the highest risk for serious cardiac AE (OR:3.28, 95% CI: 1.66–6.48) followed by TKIs (OR:1.51, 95% CI: 0.59–3.83). Serious vascular AE were more often encountered in NEN patients treated with mTOR inhibitors (OR: 1.72, 95% CI: 0.64–4.64) and TKIs (OR:1.64, 95% CI: 0.35–7.78). Finally, patients on TKIs were at higher risk for new-onset or exacerbation of pre-existing hypertension (OR:3.31, 95% CI: 1.87–5.86). In conclusion, SSAs and TPH inhibitors appear to be safer as compared to mTOR inhibitors and TKIs with regards to their overall toxicity profile, and cardiovascular toxicities in particular. Special consideration should be given to a patient-tailored approach with anticipated toxicities of targeted NEN treatments together with assessment of cardiovascular comorbidities, assisting clinicians in treatment selection and early recognition/management of cardiovascular toxicities. This approach could improve patient compliance and preserve cardiovascular health and overall quality of life. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Saffron supplemented ovine fresh cheese was studied for its compositional, microbiological, color, antioxidant and sensory characteristics, during cold storage at 4○C for 30 days. The evolution of the total aerobic bacteria and the starter lactococci group, was not remarkably affected, during manufacture, however a significant decrease was observed during storage. In addition, the cheese exhibited a more intensive antimicrobial activity against coliform and enterococci groups, which could be attributed to the saffron presence. Saffron cheese didn’t show any remarkable changes in physicochemical properties. However, an enhanced antioxidant activity was observed on 1st day of manufacture and an increasing proteolysis rate was shown after 20 days of storage. Main changes were observed on color and sensory characteristics. The color coordinate b* was increased with the saffron concentration, suggesting that cheese color gets yellower. The cheese made from milk supplemented with saffron concentration of 50 mg/L was tastefully accepted and brought out traditional sensory characteristics, familiar to Greek consumers.

Myzithra whey cheese was made by the addition of ovine milk (10%) to whey, previously fermented by the bacteriocinogenic strain Streptococcus thermophilus ACA-DC 0040, resulting in production of a bacteriocin (thermophilin T) titre at a concentration 40 960 ± 2560 AU/mL. The final antimicrobial activity in the ready-to-eat cheese was sufficient to inhibit the growth of coliforms and restrict the growth of bacteria of the Micrococcus group, thus contributing to and increased shelf life and the safety of cheese. A lower lactose content was observed in the cheese, which would lead to better acceptance by lactase-deficient consumers. Moreover, the sensory characteristics of the cheese remained unchanged during the whole cold storage period, ensuring an extended shelf life.

Στην έρευνα αυτή εξετάσθηκαν δημογραφικά στοιχεία, ζωοτεχνικά χαρακτηριστικά και παράμετροι της ποιότητας του γάλακτος σε εκτροφές γαλακτοπαραγωγικών προβάτων, στην περιοχή της βορειοδυτικής Πελοποννήσου. Η έρευνα περιέλαβε 128 εκτροφείς προβάτων και διεξήχθη με χρήση προσχεδιασμένου ερωτηματολογίου. Οι παραγωγοί στους οποίους έγινε η έρευνα, ήταν υπό τον έλεγχο του ΕΛΓΟ «Δήμητρα» και παρέδιδαν το γάλα σε μη αυτοελεγχόμενες τυροκομικές μονάδες. Από τα στοιχεία της έρευνας προέκυψαν τα πιο κάτω δεδομένα. Το 23.26% των κτηνοτρόφων ήταν από 31 έως40 ετών. Τo 64% αυτών ήταν απόφοιτοι δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης και είχαν παρακολουθήσει κάποια ενημερωτικά σεμινάρια γεωργικού και κτηνοτροφικού περιεχομένου ως «Νέοι αγρότες» (17%) ή από ενημερώσεις κτηνιάτρων της κτηνιατρικής υπηρεσίας της περιοχής τους (11%). Το μέσο μέγεθος της εκτροφής ήταν 148 πρόβατα. Στο 77% των ερωτηθέντων οι υποδομές ήταν παραδοσιακού τύπου.Πολύ περιορισμένη ήταν η τεχνολογική διείσδυση στο θέμα της άμελξης αφού στο 83% διεξαγόταν με παραδοσιακό τρόπο. Σε ότι αφορά την ποιότητα του γάλακτος, από τα δεδομένα των μετρήσεων που μας παραχωρήθηκαν από το εργαστήριο ποιοτικού ελέγχου του ΕΛΓΟ «Δήμητρα», υπολογίστηκαν οι μέσες τιμές της (%) περιεκτικότητας σε λίπος, πρωτεΐνη, λακτόζη και στο στερεό υπόλοιπο άνευ λίπους, στα 6.54 ± 0.88, 5. 56 ± 0.36, 4.59 ± 0.23 και 10.95 ± 0.42 αντίστοιχα. Επιπλέον, η μέση τιμή του συνολικού μικροβιακού φορτίου βρέθηκε στο 5.38 ± 0.55 log cfu/ml και η μέση τιμή του pH των εξετασθέντων δειγμάτων γάλακτος ήταν στο 6.71 ± 0.11. Από την επεξεργασία των απαντήσεων στις ερωτήσεις που απευθύνθηκαν στους κτηνοτρόφους, προέκυψε ότι σε γενικές γραμμές, οι εκτροφείς των προβάτων είχαν καλή αντίληψη σε θέματα που αφορούσαν την ολοκληρωμένη διαχείριση και η προοπτική για την εκτροφή προβάτων στο μέλλον φάνηκε να είναι αισιόδοξη. Ως αντίκτυπος της μελέτης αυτής φάνηκε ότι ενισχύθηκε η εμπιστοσύνη των κτηνοτρόφων στα εκπαιδευτικά ιδρύματα και από τη συζήτηση μαζί τους προέκυψε ότι είναι δεκτικοί σε αλλαγές και επιζητούν την ενημέρωση και τη γενικότερη υποστήριξη., In this study the demographic features, various farm characteristics and milk quality parameters were investigated in sheep farms (n =128) from the North West Peloponnese region, using a prescreen questionnaire. The interviewed sheep farmers were under the control of the regional milk control laboratory of the Hellenic Milk Organization ELGO «Dimitra», which provided us with the corresponding milk quality data for the first quarter of 2014. Our findings regarding the demographic data demonstrated that 23% of farmers were 31-40 years old, 64% of them were high school graduates and 28% had received relevant farming general training; namely 17% of them has designated as “young farmers” in the frame of Third Axis of the Operational Program «Rural Development-Regeneration of the Countryside 2000-2006» and 11% have attended briefings by veterinarians and agriculturists. Ιn terms of farm characteristics, it has been revealed that the mean flock size was 148 sheep and regarding the farming system, the majority of the farms (89.15%) applied a mixed extensive / indoors system. Additionally, regarding building infrastructures and the way of milking, there was limited technological penetration, since the buildings were old-style (77%) and the milking procedure was performed by hands (83%). Concerning the milk composition, the measurements showed mean values of (%) content of fat, protein, lactose and non-fat dry matter (NFDM) at 6.54±0.88, 5.56±0.36, 4.59±0.23 and 10.95±0.42, respectively. Furthermore, the mean value of the total bacterial count (TBC) was found 5.38±0.55 log cfu/ml and the pH value at 6.71±0.11. In general, sheep farmers had a good perception of the integrated management and their prospect for sheep farming was optimistic. The impact of this study is that farmers increase their trust to the educational institutions and are prompted to become more receptive to new adaptive trends.

Στην έρeυνα αυτή eξeτάσθηκαν δημογραφικά στοιχeία, ζωοτeχνικά χαρακτηριστικά και παράμeτροι της ποιότητας του γάλακτος σe eκτροφές γαλακτοπαραγωγικών προβάτων, στην πeριοχή της βορeιοδυτικής Πeλοποννήσου. Η έρeυνα πeριέλαβe 128 eκτροφeίς προβάτων και διeξήχθη μe χρήση προσχeδιασμένου eρωτηματολογίου. Οι παραγωγοί στους οποίους έγινe η έρeυνα, ήταν υπό τον έλeγχο του EΛΓΟ «Δήμητρα» και παρέδιδαν το γάλα σe μη αυτοeλeγχόμeνeς τυροκομικές μονάδeς. Από τα στοιχeία της έρeυνας προέκυψαν τα πιο κάτω δeδομένα. Το 23.26% των κτηνοτρόφων ήταν από 31 έως40 eτών. Τo 64% αυτών ήταν απόφοιτοι δeυτeροβάθμιας eκπαίδeυσης και eίχαν παρακολουθήσeι κάποια eνημeρωτικά σeμινάρια γeωργικού και κτηνοτροφικού πeριeχομένου ως «Νέοι αγρότeς» (17%) ή από eνημeρώσeις κτηνιάτρων της κτηνιατρικής υπηρeσίας της πeριοχής τους (11%). Το μέσο μέγeθος της eκτροφής ήταν 148 πρόβατα. Στο 77% των eρωτηθέντων οι υποδομές ήταν παραδοσιακού τύπου.Πολύ πeριορισμένη ήταν η τeχνολογική διeίσδυση στο θέμα της άμeλξης αφού στο 83% διeξαγόταν μe παραδοσιακό τρόπο. Σe ότι αφορά την ποιότητα του γάλακτος, από τα δeδομένα των μeτρήσeων που μας παραχωρήθηκαν από το eργαστήριο ποιοτικού eλέγχου του EΛΓΟ «Δήμητρα», υπολογίστηκαν οι μέσeς τιμές της (%) πeριeκτικότητας σe λίπος, πρωτeΐνη, λακτόζη και στο στeρeό υπόλοιπο άνeυ λίπους, στα 6.54 ± 0.88, 5. 56 ± 0.36, 4.59 ± 0.23 και 10.95 ± 0.42 αντίστοιχα. Eπιπλέον, η μέση τιμή του συνολικού μικροβιακού φορτίου βρέθηκe στο 5.38 ± 0.55 log cfu/ml και η μέση τιμή του pH των eξeτασθέντων δeιγμάτων γάλακτος ήταν στο 6.71 ± 0.11. Από την eπeξeργασία των απαντήσeων στις eρωτήσeις που απeυθύνθηκαν στους κτηνοτρόφους, προέκυψe ότι σe γeνικές γραμμές, οι eκτροφeίς των προβάτων eίχαν καλή αντίληψη σe θέματα που αφορούσαν την ολοκληρωμένη διαχeίριση και η προοπτική για την eκτροφή προβάτων στο μέλλον φάνηκe να eίναι αισιόδοξη. Ως αντίκτυπος της μeλέτης αυτής φάνηκe ότι eνισχύθηκe η eμπιστοσύνη των κτηνοτρόφων στα eκπαιδeυτικά ιδρύματα και από τη συζήτηση μαζί τους προέκυψe ότι eίναι δeκτικοί σe αλλαγές και eπιζητούν την eνημέρωση και τη γeνικότeρη υποστήριξη.

Three fermentations in skim milk were used to study the effectiveness of the bacteriocin-producing Streptococcus macedonicus ACA-DC 198 strain to inhibit Clostridium tyrobutyricum LMG 1285T spore outgrowth under conditions prevailing during Kasseri cheese production and ripening. In fermentation A, Clostridium spores were used solely; in fermentation B, S. macedonicus ACA-DC 198 and Clostridium spores were used; in fermentation C, a commercial starter culture and Clostridium spores were used. The temperature program applied was similar to that of Kasseri cheese production and ripening. The presence of macedocin, the bacteriocin produced by S. macedonicus ACA-DC 198, was confirmed in fermentation B. The results showed that macedocin was able to inhibit the outgrowth of Clostridium spores, since significantly higher inhibition in spore outgrowth was detected in fermentation B than in fermentation C.

Lipolysis was studied during ripening of traditional Feta cheese produced in two small dairies, A and B. The cheeses were made from a thermized mixture of ewes’/goats’ milk by using yoghurt as starter and artisanal rennet from lambs’ and kids’ abomasa (cheese A) or mixed artisanal rennet with calf rennet (cheese B). The acid degree value and the free fatty acids (FFA) contents in both cheeses increased sharply up to 18 d (pre-ripening period at 15 °C) and continued to increase throughout ripening. In both mature cheeses, acetic acid was found at high levels (13–18% of the total FFAs). However, except for this, all FFA contents differed significantly ( P P In organoleptic evaluation, cheese A had a piquant taste that was attributed to its high content of butyric acid and showed a significantly ( P

La thermophiline ST-1 est une bacteriocine produite par Streptococcus thermophilus ACA-DC 0001, une souche «sauvage» isolee d'un yaourt traditionnel Grec. Elle presente un large spectre d'activite contre les germes pathogenes alimentaires ainsi que contre certaines bacteries Gram-negatives phytopathogenes. Elle inhibe, non seulement, des bacteries lactiques mais egalement, les souches Listeria innocua BL 86/20, Enterococcus faecalis EF1, Staphylococcus aureus ATTC 29996, Xanthomonas campestris BPIC 1660, Pseudomonas syringae BPIC 1549 et Erwinia rubrifasciens BPIC 1710, ainsi que la souche indicatrice Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris CNRZ-117. L'extrait brut antimicrobien est sensible aux enzymes proteolytiques pronase et trypsine, a la temperature de 60 °C apres 10 min et aux conditions tres acides et tres alcalines. La production de la thermophiline commence des le debut de la phase de croissance et atteint son niveau maximum d'activite de 2560 AU.mL -1 a la fin de la phase exponentielle. Elle a ete partiellement purifiee apres precipitation au sulfate d'ammonium, chromatographie d' echange d'ions et ensuite chromatographie d'exclusion sterique. Sa masse moleculaire apparente est d'environ 30 kg.mol -1 . L'electrophorese SDS-PAGE de la thermophiline ST-1 purifiee presentait une seule bande avec une masse moleculaire de 30 kg.mol -1 , classant cette nouvelle bateriocine sous les proteines de haut poids moleculaire et thermolabiles. Jusqu'a present, la masse moleculaire des bacteriocines retrouvees dans les differentes especes de S. thermophilus etait inferieure a 10 kg.mol -1 (petites peptides stables a haute temperature). De recents essais de cure ont montre une stabilite genetique de la production de la bacteriocine, suggerant une localisation probable du gene codant pour la thermophiline ST-1 sur le chromosome.

In three different dairies (A, B and C) located in Peloponess region (Southern Greece), traditional Feta cheese trials took place February to March using mixtures of sheep's and goat's milk. Only small variations in the evolution of microbial groups were observed during the whole ripening period. The main groups, such as thermophilic cocci, mesophilic lactococci, thermophilic lactobacilli, nonstarter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB), presumptive Leuconostoc, enterococci and micrococci, reached their highest levels during the first 16 days, and then declined approximately 1-2 log units until the end of ripening. The remaining groups investigated, comprising yeasts, coliforms and Escherichia coli, were highest at day 4. The yeasts remained constant, while coliforms and E. coli decreased sharply and were not detectable after 120 days of ripening. A number of 146 isolates (dairy A) taken from all stages of the manufacturing and ripening process were purified and studied. Lactobacillus plantarum (58/146) and isolates of related species Lactobacillus pentosus and Lactobacillus paraplantarum (16/146) were the most common microorganisms found during cheese ripening. Streptococcus thermophilus (23/146) and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (20/146) were detected in high levels up to 20 days, and then gradually reduced. Enterococcus faecium (29/146) was found in all manufacturing and ripening stages.