Publications by authors named "M Z Xanthou"
The effect of micro-oxygenation (MOX) technique on quality and sensorial characteristics of balsamic vinegar was investigated, aiming to aging acceleration. Aging experiments were conducted using a multiple diffuser micro-oxygenator for up to 6 months with an oxygen flow of 30 mg/L/month, including oak chips (1 g/L) or not. Barrel maturation was simultaneously carried out.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) are used as biostimulants to improve the growth and yield as well as the quality of crops. In the present study, nine strains of PGPB and one solid mix consisting of two of them were evaluated on the cultivation of industrial tomato under specific soil and climatic conditions. The results showed that treatment increased dry weight of the tomato plants by 39%, and the photosynthetic rate was increased by 9.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHoney is a natural food with a long history as a traditional medicine because of its many biological characteristics, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, the antimicrobial actions of eight different honeys from Lemnos island (north-eastern Greece) plus manuka honey (from New Zealand, UMF 30+, licensed in many countries as topical medical preparation) were evaluated against 10 clinically relevant bacteria, including five Gram-positive and five Gram-negative. To achieve this, an agar well diffusion assay measured the diameter of inhibition zones (mm) of two selected concentrations for each honey (25% and 12.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Activin-A plays a significant role in neonatal infections, particularly in septicemic preterm and term neonates, by affecting inflammatory responses in their leukocytes.
- A study involving blood samples from septicemic neonates and healthy controls showed that activin-A levels were elevated in septicemic infants, with leukocytes being a major source of this cytokine.
- Treatment with activin-A led to reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines while increasing the anti-inflammatory mediator IL-10, highlighting its potential as an immunomodulatory agent in managing inflammation in septicemic neonates.
During infections, pathogens bind to toll-like receptor (TLR)4 and CD14 receptors and induce cytokine release, leading to inflammation. Here, we investigated TLR4 and CD14 expression on peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) and their roles in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokine and chemokine release. Full-term and preterm neonates and adults were studied.
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