Green Extraction Technology of Polyphenols from Food By-Products.

The development of environmentally friendly approaches to produce high-added value compounds is a field of research that has attracted the interest of the scientific community and several industries such as the food and cosmetic industry [...

Earlier functional recovery and discharge from hospital for THA patients operated on via direct superior compared to standard posterior approach: a retrospective frequency-matched case-control study.

Background: The direct superior hip approach (DSA) has been less researched than other approaches in the literature. We retrospectively compared the early postoperative and functional outcomes of patients with hip osteoarthritis undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) via DSA with a matched control group using a standard posterior approach (SPA).

Methods: The DSA group comprised 100 THAs performed via DSA by a senior surgeon between January 2018 and May 2019.

Radial-EBUS: CryoBiopsy Versus Conventional Biopsy: Time-Sample and C-Arm.

Introduction: Diagnosis of lung nodules is still under investigation. We use computed tomography scans and positron emission tomography in order to identify their origin.

Patients And Methods: In our retrospective study, we included 248 patients with a single lung nodule or multiple lung nodules of size ≥1 cm.

Tailor-Made Modification of Commercial Ceramic Membranes for Environmental and Energy-Oriented Gas Separation Applications.

Ceramic membranes have been considered as potential candidates for several gas separation processes of industrial interest, due to their increased thermal and chemical stability compared to polymeric ones. In the present study, commercial Hybrid Silica (HybSi) membranes have been evaluated and modified accordingly, to enhance their gas separation performance for targeted applications, including CO removal from flue gas and H recovery from hydrogen-containing natural gas streams. The developed membranes have been characterized before and after modification by relative permeability, single gas permeation, and equimolar separation tests of the respective gas mixtures.

The Effects of Replacing Soybean Meal with Rapeseed Meal, Cottonseed Cake, and Fava Beans on the Milk Yield and Quality Traits in Milking Ewes.

The replacement of soybean meal (SBM) from intensively reared dairy sheep diets has emerged as a significant challenge for sustainable production. However, the effects of this replacement on milk production have not been sufficiently elucidated. The objective of this study was to prospectively assess the effects of replacing SBM with a mixture of alternative protein sources on the milk yield (MY) and the milk quality traits (MQT) in intensively reared dairy sheep.

Gestational Diabetes, Colorectal Cancer, Bariatric Surgery, and Weight Loss among Diabetes Mellitus Patients: A Mini Review of the Interplay of Multispecies Probiotics.

Diabetes mellitus has been steadily increasing over the past decades and is one of the most significant global public health concerns. Diabetes mellitus patients have an increased risk of both surgical and post-surgical complications. The post-surgical risks are associated with the primary condition that led to surgery and the hyperglycaemia per se.

Aggravated Dental and Periodontal Status in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease and Its Association with Serum Ferritin.

Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the possible consequences of sickle cell disease (SCD) on dental and periodontal health in middle-aged patients and to examine the association of certain cardiovascular parameters and serum ferritin with the dental and periodontal status.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-seven patients (mean age 43.2 years old) with SCD and 30 non-SCD and otherwise healthy individuals (mean age 38.

Probiotics and Their Effect on Surgical Wound Healing: A Systematic Review and New Insights into the Role of Nanotechnology.

Skin tissue repair is of fundamental importance for maintaining homeostasis regulation, protection barrier, absorption, and excretion of skin tissue. Wound healing is a complicated process that can be impaired by infections and therefore have a significant economic and social impact. Simultaneously, the overuse of antibiotics has led to antimicrobial resistance and loss of their efficacy.

Towards a Mathematical Model for the Viral Progression in the Pharynx.

In this work, a comprehensive model for the viral progression in the pharynx has been developed. This one-dimension model considers both Fickian diffusion and convective flow coupled with chemical reactions, such as virus population growth, infected and uninfected cell accumulation as well as virus clearance. The effect of a sterilizing agent such as an alcoholic solution on the viral progression in the pharynx was taken into account and a parametric analysis for the effect of kinetic rate parameters on virus propagation was made.

Revision of the Laonice bahusiensis complex (Annelida: Spionidae) with a description of three new species.

The morphological reexamination of specimens previously identified as Laonice bahusiensis Sderstrm, 1920 from North European and Mediterranean collections, supported by the molecular analysis of freshly collected material, enabled the recognition of four different species in the region: the genuine L. bahusiensis, L. irinae n.

Entropy and Network Centralities as Intelligent Tools for the Investigation of Terrorist Organizations.

In recent years, law enforcement authorities have increasingly used mathematical tools to support criminal investigations, such as those related to terrorism. In this work, two relevant questions are discussed: "How can the different roles of members of a terrorist organization be recognized?" and "are there early signs of impending terrorist acts?" These questions are addressed using the tools of entropy and network theory, more specifically centralities (degree, betweenness, clustering) and their entropies. These tools were applied to data (physical contacts) of four real terrorist networks from different countries.

Evaluation of Infrared Thermography for the Detection of Footrot and White Line Disease Lesions in Dairy Sheep.

The objectives of this study were to investigate temperature distribution at the sheep hoof and evaluate the reliability and diagnostic performance of infrared thermography (IRT) for the detection of footrot and white line disease (WLD) lesions in intensively reared dairy sheep. Hoof lesions were clinically assessed, and IRT was used to measure temperature distribution on hoof superficial tissue in 600 multiparous ewes. Binary regression models were developed and validated, and receiver operating characteristic curves were estimated to assess the predictive value and diagnostic performance of IRT for the detection of hoof lesions.

On the Squalene Content of CV Chondrolia Chalkidikis and Chalkidiki (Greece) Virgin Olive Oil.

This work is a continuation of efforts to establish the nutritional profile of virgin olive oil (VOO) from cv. Chondrolia Chalkidikis and Chalkidiki and to strengthen its positioning in the global VOO landscape. VOOs produced at an industrial scale in different olive mills of the Chalkidiki (Greece) regional unit as well as VOOs obtained at the laboratory scale from drupes of different maturity stages for four consecutive harvesting years were examined for their squalene (SQ) content using both HPLC and GC procedures.

Serological, Molecular and Culture-Based Diagnosis of Lentiviral Infections in Small Ruminants.

Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) infections lead to chronic diseases and remarkable economic losses undermining health and welfare of animals and the sustainability of farms. Early and definite diagnosis of SRLVs infections is the cornerstone for any control and eradication efforts; however, a "gold standard" test and/or diagnostic protocols with extensive applicability have yet to be developed. The main challenges preventing the development of a universally accepted diagnostic tool with sufficient sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy to be integrated in SRLVs control programs are the genetic variability of SRLVs associated with mutations, recombination, and cross-species transmission and the peculiarities of small ruminants' humoral immune response regarding late seroconversion, as well as intermittent and epitope-specific antibody production.

Mapping the Secretome of Dental Pulp Stem Cells Under Variable Microenvironmental Conditions.

There is substantial evidence supporting the anti-inflammatory and regenerative potential of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) through direct cell transplantation or paracrine action. However, DPSC secretome profile remains inadequately studied. This study provides proteomic profiling of the human DPSC secretome by comparatively analysising cell lysates and respective culture supernatants (i.

The Role of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology in the Diagnosis of Gallbladder Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Gallbladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the biliary tract. When diagnosed in an advanced stage it has a very poor prognosis. Therefore, early diagnosis and thorough assessment of a suspicious gallbladder polyp is essential to improve survival rate.

Enzymatic hydrolysis for the systematic production of second-generation glucose from the dual polysaccharide reserves of an anti-pollutant plant.

In this study, the anti-pollutant macrophyte Typha domingensis is exploited for the production of highly concentrated second-generation glucose. A two-stage starch and cellulose enzymatic hydrolysis process is compared for the first time with a single-stage simultaneous starch and cellulose hydrolysis approach, with the former achieving enhanced glucose production, making it more promising for large-scale deployment. The proposed two-stage process is optimized via the Box-Behnken response surface methodology achieving glucose yield values of 74.

Human Factors and Requirements of People with Cognitive Impairment, Their Caregivers, and Healthcare Professionals for mHealth Apps Including Reminders, Games, and Geolocation Tracking: A Survey-Questionnaire Study.

Background: Mobile Health (mHealth) apps can delay the cognitive decline of people with dementia (PwD), by providing both objective assessment and cognitive enhancement.

Objective: This patient involvement survey aims to explore human factors, needs and requirements of PwD, their caregivers, and Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) with respect to supportive and interactive mHealth apps, such as brain games, medication reminders, and geolocation trackers through a constructive questionnaire.

Methods: Following the principles of user-centered design to involve end-users in design we constructed a questionnaire, containing both open-ended and closed-ended questions as well as multiple choice and Likert scale, in order to investigate the specific requirements and preferences for mHealth apps.

Greek High Phenolic Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil Reduces the Over-Excitation of Information-Flow Based on Dominant Coupling Mode (DoCM) Model in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: An EEG Resting-State Validation Approach.

Background: Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) constitutes a natural compound with high protection over cognitive function that could positively alter brain dynamics and the mixture of within and between-frequency connectivity.

Objective: The balance of cross-frequency coupling over within-frequency coupling can build a nonlinearity index (NI) that encapsulates the over-excitation of information flow between brain areas and across experimental time. The present study investigated for the very first time how the Greek High Phenolic Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil (HP-EH-EVOO) versus Moderate Phenolic (MP-EVOO) and Mediterranean Diet (MeDi) intervention in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) could affect their spontaneous EEG dynamic connectivity.

Electrospun wound dressings containing bioactive natural products: physico-chemical characterization and biological assessment.

Background: Current research on skin tissue engineering has been focusing on novel therapies for the effective management of chronic wounds. A critical aspect is to develop matrices that promote growth and uniform distribution of cells across the wound area, and at the same time offer protection, as well as deliver drugs that help wound healing and tissue regeneration. In this context, we aimed at developing electrospun scaffolds that could serve as carriers for the bioactive natural products alkannin and shikonin (A/S).

Novel electrospun poly-hydroxybutyrate scaffolds as carriers for the wound healing agents alkannins and shikonins.

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of novel electrospun fiber mats loaded with alkannin and shikonin (A/S) derivatives, using as carrier a highly biocompatible, bio-derived, eco-friendly polymer such as poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid] (PHB). PHB fibers containing a mixture of A/S derivatives at different ratios were successfully fabricated via electrospinning. Αs evidenced by scanning electron microscopy, the fibers formed a bead-free mesh with average diameters from 1.

Discriminant Validity of the WAIS-R Digit Symbol Substitution Test in Subjective Cognitive Decline, Mild Cognitive Impairment (Amnestic Subtype) and Alzheimer's Disease Dementia (ADD) in Greece.

Objective: The aim of the current study was to estimate the discriminant potential and validity of the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) of the WAIS-R in the Greek elderly population meeting criteria for subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (aMCI; amnestic subtype), or Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD).

Method: Four hundred eighty-eight community-dwelling older adults, visitors of the Day Center of Alzheimer Hellas, participated in the study. Two hundred forty-three of them met the criteria for ADD, one hundred eighty-two for aMCI and sixty-three for SCD.

Postoperatively determined high-risk histopathologic features in papillary thyroid carcinoma initially eligible for thyroid lobectomy: a game changer.

Purpose: Recent clinical practice guidelines consider thyroid lobectomy a viable alternative for low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma PTC measuring 1-4 cm in size. We aimed to assess the likelihood of finding postoperatively determined high-risk histopathologic features that would lead to the recommendation of completion thyroidectomy.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for PTC measuring 1-4 cm in size between Jan 2012 and Jan 2018 was conducted.

The Potential of Virgin Olive Oil from cv. Chondrolia Chalkidikis and Chalkidiki (Greece) to Bear Health Claims according to the European Legislation.

The European food legislation authorizes the use of certain health claims based on a scientific basis. This study aimed to evaluate the fatty acid, tocopherol, and polar phenol composition of virgin olive oil (VOO) from cv. Chondrolia Chalkidikis and Chalkidiki regarding the fulfillment of official requirements for the health claims of 'oleic acid', 'vitamin E', and 'olive oil polyphenols'.

A Cross-Sectional Epizootiological Study and Risk Assessment of Foot-Related Lesions and Lameness in Intensive Dairy Sheep Farms.

Foot-related lameness, foot-diseases and lesions are emerging issues in dairy sheep; however, relevant epizootiological studies are scarce, and risk factors have not been elucidated. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were (i) to address this dearth of knowledge by investigating the epizootiology of lameness-related foot-lesions and diseases, and (ii) to assess the impact of potential risk factors on foot health, in intensive dairy sheep farms. Thirty farms were assigned in two representative clusters using a multivariate statistical analysis.