Efficacy of a multicomponent binding agent against combined exposure to zearalenone and ochratoxin A in weaned pigs.

Introduction: The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a novel multicomponent substance against combined exposure to the mycotoxins zearalenone (ZEN) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in weaned piglets.

Methods: In total, 60 piglets at the age of 28 days were equally allocated to four experimental groups (A-D), consisting of eight female and seven male piglets each (15 animals per group, for a total trial duration of 42 days). Animals from group A received typical weaner feed without mycotoxins or the test product [multicomponent mycotoxin detoxifying agent (MMDA)].

Comparison of chromatographic conditions for the targeted tandem mass spectrometric determination of 354 mammalian metabolites.

Metabolomics is becoming increasingly popular in livestock research, but no single analytical method can cover the entire metabolome. As such, we compared similar and complementary chromatographic methods with respect to analyte coverage and chromatographic properties of mammalian metabolites. We investigated 354 biologically relevant primary metabolites from 19 compound classes including amino acids, bile acids, biogenic amines, carboxylic acids, lipids, nucleotides and sugars.

STORK: Collaborative Online Monitoring of Pregnancies Complicated with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: A novel digital platform, named STORK, was developed in the COVID-19 pandemic when clinic visits were restricted. A study of its clinical use during the pandemic was conducted. The study aims to advance the state of the art in monitoring and care of pregnancies complicated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) via online collaboration between patients and care providers.

Using Graphlet Spectrograms for Temporal Pattern Analysis of Virus-Research Collaboration Networks.

We introduce a new method for temporal pattern analysis of scientific collaboration networks. We investigate in particular virus research activities through five epidemic or pandemic outbreaks in the recent two decades and in the ongoing pandemic with COVID-19. Our method embodies two innovative components.

The Beneficial Effect of the Mobile Application in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

is a mobile application which we developed for children and adolescents suffering type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) for calculation of the appropriate insulin bolus dose by importing in the equation carbohydrates, lipids, glucose levels, and personalized parameters. Aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of this application on patients' glycemic control and satisfaction. Eighty children and adolescents (aged 13.

Seroprevalence in a High-Risk Population in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Brucellosis is a zoonosis with high occupational risk. However, seroprevalence of antibodies among occupational groups is not known, since studies in endemic countries are rare.

Methods: A cross-sectional seroprevalence study was conducted among livestock farmers in an endemic region in Greece.

The role of inter-species interactions in Salinispora specialized metabolism.

Bacterial genome sequences consistently contain many more biosynthetic gene clusters encoding specialized metabolites than predicted by the compounds discovered from the respective strains. One hypothesis invoked to explain the cryptic nature of these gene clusters is that standard laboratory conditions do not provide the environmental cues needed to trigger gene expression. A potential source of such cues is other members of the bacterial community, which are logical targets for competitive interactions.

A metabolomics guided exploration of marine natural product chemical space.

Introduction: Natural products from culture collections have enormous impact in advancing discovery programs for metabolites of biotechnological importance. These discovery efforts rely on the metabolomic characterization of strain collections.

Objective: Many emerging approaches compare metabolomic profiles of such collections, but few enable the analysis and prioritization of thousands of samples from diverse organisms while delivering chemistry specific read outs.

Mass Spectrometry Based Molecular 3D-Cartography of Plant Metabolites.

Plants play an essential part in global carbon fixing through photosynthesis and are the primary food and energy source for humans. Understanding them thoroughly is therefore of highest interest for humanity. Advances in DNA and RNA sequencing and in protein and metabolite analysis allow the systematic description of plant composition at the molecular level.

Prioritizing Natural Product Diversity in a Collection of 146 Bacterial Strains Based on Growth and Extraction Protocols.

In order to expedite the rapid and efficient discovery and isolation of novel specialized metabolites, while minimizing the waste of resources on rediscovery of known compounds, it is crucial to develop efficient approaches for strain prioritization, rapid dereplication, and the assessment of favored cultivation and extraction conditions. Herein we interrogated bacterial strains by systematically evaluating cultivation and extraction parameters with LC-MS/MS analysis and subsequent dereplication through the Global Natural Product Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) platform. The developed method is fast, requiring minimal time and sample material, and is compatible with high-throughput extract analysis, thereby streamlining strain prioritization and evaluation of culturing parameters.

Natural products as mediators of disease.

Covering: up to 2016Humans are walking microbial ecosystems, each harboring a complex microbiome with the genetic potential to produce a vast array of natural products. Recent sequencing data suggest that our microbial inhabitants are critical for maintaining overall health. Shifts in microbial communities have been correlated to a number of diseases including infections, inflammation, cancer, and neurological disorders.

Mass Spectrometry-Based Visualization of Molecules Associated with Human Habitats.

The cars we drive, the homes we live in, the restaurants we visit, and the laboratories and offices we work in are all a part of the modern human habitat. Remarkably, little is known about the diversity of chemicals present in these environments and to what degree molecules from our bodies influence the built environment that surrounds us and vice versa. We therefore set out to visualize the chemical diversity of five built human habitats together with their occupants, to provide a snapshot of the various molecules to which humans are exposed on a daily basis.

Sharing and community curation of mass spectrometry data with Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking.

The potential of the diverse chemistries present in natural products (NP) for biotechnology and medicine remains untapped because NP databases are not searchable with raw data and the NP community has no way to share data other than in published papers. Although mass spectrometry (MS) techniques are well-suited to high-throughput characterization of NP, there is a pressing need for an infrastructure to enable sharing and curation of data. We present Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS; http://gnps.

Assessing personality traits by questionnaire: psychometric properties of the Greek version of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman personality questionnaire and correlations with psychopathology and hostility.

Background: The Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) was developed in an attempt to define the basic factors of personality or temperament. We aimed to assess the factor structure and the psychometric properties of its Greek version and to explore its relation to psychopathological symptoms and hostility features.

Methods: ZKPQ was translated into Greek using back-translation and was administered to 1,462 participants (475 healthy participants, 619 medical patients, 177 psychiatric patients and 191 opiate addicts).

Laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal hernia repair (TAPP): stapling the mesh is not mandatory.

Background: This report reviews our experience with 104 transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) hernia repairs, using a selective staple-free technique, over the period April 2003 to July 2007 (50 months).

Materials And Methods: Ninety-one patients underwent TAPP repair (13 bilateral). Eighty-one were males and 10 females.

Outcome of patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted in hospitals with or without catheterization laboratory: results from the HELIOS registry.

Aims: To compare the treatment and outcomes of myocardial infarction patients in hospitals with and without catheterization laboratory.

Methods And Results: The Hellenic Infarction Observation Study was a countrywide registry of acute myocardial infarction, conducted during 2005-2006. The registry enrolled 1840 patients with myocardial infarction from 31 hospitals with a proportional representation of all types of hospitals and of all geographical areas.

Intracranial primary synovial sarcoma: radiologic-pathologic correlation.

We present a very rare case of spontaneous intracranial synovial sarcoma. A 15-year-old female was admitted to our institution for a cervical spine MRI, reporting a gradual pain of the dorsal neck after an injury three months previously. After obtaining the first sequence we discovered a large skull base mass.

Could sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia in the early phase of a prime acute myocardial infarction affect patient outcome?

Objectives: Sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SMVT) in the course of a prime acute myocardial infarction is not a common arrhythmia and its prognostic significance has not been specifically elucidated. The aim of the study was to estimate the prognostic implications of the occurrence of sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia in the early phase (<72 h) of a prime acute myocardial infarction.

Methods: We studied 690 consecutive patients admitted to the coronary care unit with a diagnosis of a prime myocardial infarction.

Gliclazide treatment lowers serum ICAM-1 levels in poorly controlled type 2 diabetic patients.

Objective: To investigate the potential effect of gliclazide on serum ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule-1) and VCAM-1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule-1) levels in poorly controlled type 2 diabetic patients.

Patients And Methods: The study included 104 patients, randomly divided into two groups. Group A comprised 53 patients (26 men) treated with gliclazide with a mean age of 67.

Relation of C-reactive protein to the first onset and the recurrence rate in lone atrial fibrillation.

The presence of systemic inflammation determined by elevations in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has been associated with persistence of atrial fibrillation (AF). The influence of inflammation markers, such as hs-CRP, on the recurrences of lone AF, however, has not been clarified. We tested the hypothesis of whether, in patients with a first paroxysmal episode of lone AF, the hs-CRP levels were elevated, and whether elevated hs-CRP could predict the recurrence rate of lone AF in patients without antiarrhythmic drugs.

Effect of radiofrequency catheter ablation on the biochemical marker ischemia modified albumin.

Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels were measured after radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation to evaluate the effect of direct myocardial necrosis on IMA formation. IMA levels have been shown to increase in patients after RF catheter ablation compared with those who undergo diagnostic electrophysiologic studies. The results of this study suggest that IMA may be a marker of myocardial injury.

Solitary spleen metastasis and amyloidosis in a patient with endometrial cancer.

Background: In contrast to autopsy findings, solitary splenic metastases from solid tumors are extremely rare. It may occasionally be the first manifestation of recurrent solid cancers, and in particular of gynecologic malignancies. Secondary amyloidosis is also found in malignancy.

A benign-looking subcutaneous metastasis from squamous cell cervical carcinoma: A case report and review of the literature.

A 30-year-old woman with a stage IIIB grade 3 squamous cell cervical carcinoma and pelvic lymph node metastases was treated with external beam radiotherapy and intracavitary brachytherapy. One month after the completion of the treatment, a rubbery, movable, and painless mass appeared in the lower third and outer aspect of her right thigh. The overlying epidermis was intact.

Radial scar of the breast.

Four cases of radial scar of the breast, primarily diagnosed as carcinoma are presented; the patients were found among 858 patients who were operated on at our Breast Unit over the last 4 years. The lesion was revealed on routine mammographic examination in 4 of our patients, while in the fourth it was found by palpation. In two of our patients mammographic examination revealed architectural distortion, in one patient micro-calcifications and in the fourth patient a stellate lesion was found.