Enhanced oil removal from water in oil stable emulsions using electrospun nanocomposite fiber mats

Fibrous mats with hydrophobic and oleophilic properties have been fabricated and used as absorbents of oil from stable water in oil emulsions. The mats were prepared by initially mixing two polymers, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polycaprolactone (PCL), in a common solvent. The subsequent electrospinning of the prepared solutions resulted in the production of mechanically stable fiber mats, with enhanced oil absorption capacity and oil absorption selectivity from the emulsions, compared to the pure PMMA or PCL mats. Furthermore, the formed fibrous substrates have been successful in the absorption of oil from different emulsions with a wide range of oil content, from 10 to 80 v%. The performance of the fibrous mats was optimized by the incorporation of hydrophobic silica nanoparticles, reaching oil absorption capacities of 28 g g⁻¹ and negligible water uptake, in the emulsions with 80 v% oil content.

Fibrous mats with hydrophobic and oleophilic properties have been fabricated and used as absorbents of oil from stable water in oil emulsions.     

Serological classification in relation to auxotypes, plasmid contents, and susceptibilities to antimicrobials of PPNG and non-PPNG strains isolated in Greece.

Thirty three penicillinase producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) and 152 non-PPNG strains were serologically classified in relation to their patterns of resistance to antimicrobials, nutritional requirements (auxotypes), and plasmid contents. Of the 185 strains, 65 (35%) belonged to the WI and 120 (65%) to the WII/III serogroup, the predominant serovars of which were Arost and Bropt, respectively. Associations between serotype and susceptibility to antimicrobial agents, auxotype, and plasmid content were observed. Of the 152 non-PPNG strains, 112 (74%) belonged to serogroup WI. The WI non-PPNG strains were more sensitive to penicillin, thiamphenicol, tetracycline, and cefotaxime than the WII/III non-PPNG strains. Auxotyping and serogrouping the strains showed no differentiation other than that arginine, hypoxanthine, and uracil dependent (AHU-) strains belonged to serogroup WI. The proline, citrulline, and uracil dependent (PCU-) strains belonged, as expected, to serogroup WII/III. Analysing the 33 PPNG strains showed that of 21 carrying the 4.5 megadalton (Asian type) penicillin resistance plasmid, 17 (81%) belonged to serogroup WI, with serovar Arst predominating, and only four (19%) to serogroup WII/III. Of 11 isolates carrying the 3.2 megadalton (African type) resistance plasmid, seven (64%) belonged to serogroup WI (serovar Av predominating) and four (36%) to WII/III (with serovar Bropyst predominating). One strain carried the 3.05 megadalton penicillin resistance plasmid (Toronto type), belonged to the WI serogroup, and had serovar Arost.     

Investigating burden of informal caregivers in England,Finland and Greece: an analysis with the short form of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers (BSFC-s)

Objectives: The burden of informal caregivers might show itself in different ways in different cultures. Understanding these differences is important for developing culture-specific measures aimed at alleviating caregiver burden. Hitherto, no findings regarding such cultural differences between different European countries were available. In this paper, differences between English, Finnish and Greek informal caregivers of people with dementia are investigated.

Methods: A secondary analysis was performed with data from 36 English, 42 Finnish and 46 Greek caregivers obtained with the short form of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers (BSFC-s). The probabilities of endorsing the BSFC-s items were investigated by computing a logit model with items and countries as categorical factors. Statistically significant deviation of data from this model was taken as evidence for country-specific response patterns.

Results: The two-factorial logit model explains the responses to the items quite well (McFadden's pseudo-R-square: 0.77). There are, however, also statistically significant deviations (p < 0.05). English caregivers have a stronger tendency to endorse items addressing impairments in individual well-being; Finnish caregivers have a stronger tendency to endorse items addressing the conflict between the demands resulting from care and demands resulting from the remaining social life and Greek caregivers have a stronger tendency to endorse items addressing impairments in physical health.

Conclusion: Caregiver burden shows itself differently in English, Finnish and Greek caregivers. Accordingly, measures for alleviating caregiver burden in these three countries should address different aspects of the caregivers’ lives.     

Increased rate of endometriosis and spontaneous abortion in an in vitro fertilization program: No correlation with epidemiological factors

Background. There are conflicting data concerning endometriosis and spontaneous abortion (SAB). The aim of the present study was to evaluate if there was any association between endometriosis and SAB. Moreover, we investigated risk factors in women with endometriosis and SAB.

Methods. The medical files of 457 married women with endometriosis and 200 infertile women without endometriosis were studied retrospectively. All cases were diagnosed by laparoscopy. Data concerning demographic variables and menstrual characteristics were recorded from 226 women with endometriosis, which were divided into two groups. Group 1 included 126 cases with endometriosis and SAB, and Group 2 comprised 100 parous women with endometriosis and without SAB. Statistical comparisons between groups were made using the χ² test and odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results. The proportion of SAB was significantly higher in women with endometriosis than in infertile women without endometriosis (126/457 (27.6%) vs. 36/200 (18.0% ); OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.1 = 2.6; p = 0.01). The frequency of nulligravid women was significantly higher in women with endometriosis than in the control group (OR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.4 – 2.81; p = 0.001). Mean age, age at onset of endometriosis, race, height, weight, body mass index, medical history of allergies, and family histories of endometriosis and cancer were similar in women with endometriosis and SAB and in parous women with endometriosis but without SAB. Moreover, the two groups were similar in age at menarche, length of cycle, duration and amount of flow, and the severity of disease. The incidence of infertility was significantly higher in women with SAB (p < 0.001).

Conclusion. These data suggest but do not prove that the risk of SAB is increased in women with endometriosis. The epidemiological risk factors of endometriosis are not associated with an increase in the abortion rate.     

Comparative genomic hybridization analysis of human oocytes and polar bodies

BACKGROUND: Classical cytogenetic methods and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) have been employed for the analysis of chromosomal abnormalities in human oocytes. However, these methods are limited by the need to spread the sample on a microscope slide, a process that risks artefactual chromosome loss. Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) is a DNA-based method that enables the investigation of the entire chromosome complement. We optimized and evaluated a CGH protocol for the chromosomal analysis of first polar bodies (PBs) and oocytes. The protocol was then employed to obtain a detailed picture of meiosis I errors in human oogenesis. METHODS: 107 MII oocyte-PB complexes were examined using whole genome amplification (WGA) and CGH. RESULTS: Data was obtained for 100 complexes, donated from 46 patients of average age 32.5 (range 18-42). 22 complexes from 15 patients were abnormal, giving an aneuploidy rate of 22%. CONCLUSIONS: The results presented in this study more than double the quantity of CGH data from female gametes currently available. Abnormalities caused by whole chromosome non-disjunction, unbalanced chromatid predivision and chromosome breakage were reliably identified using the CGH protocol. Analysis of the data revealed a preferential participation of chromosome X and the smaller autosomes in aneuploidy and provided further evidence for the existence of age-independent factors in female aneuploidy.     

Epidermal growth factor receptor as a therapeutic target in human thyroid carcinoma: mutational and functional analysis

CONTEXT: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a transmembrane tyrosine kinase (TK) receptor that mediates proliferation and survival signaling, is expressed in a wide variety of normal and neoplastic tissues. EGFR inhibitors have produced objective responses in patients with non-small-cell lung carcinomas harboring activating EGFR TK domain somatic mutations. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: Because the EGFR pathway has been reported to be important for the pathophysiology of thyroid carcinoma, we investigated the expression and mutational status of EGFR in 14 thyroid carcinoma cell lines as well as its functional role by evaluating their in vitro sensitivity to AEE788, a new dual-family EGFR/ErbB2 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor TK inhibitor. We also evaluated the mutational status, mRNA and protein expression, as well as phosphorylation status of EGFR in a panel of thyroid carcinoma specimens. RESULTS: EGFR expression and phosphorylation in the thyroid carcinoma cell lines and tissue specimens were present but not stronger than in noncancerous thyroid tissue. EGFR TK domain mutations were detected in two of 62 histological specimens (3.2%) but not in cell lines. All thyroid carcinoma cell lines were significantly less sensitive (IC(50) at least 25-fold higher) in vitro to AEE788 than a primary culture of EGFR-mutant lung carcinoma cells. CONCLUSIONS: Thyroid carcinoma cells overall are poorly responsive to clinically relevant concentrations of AEE788 in vitro. The presence of EGFR-activating TK domain mutations may identify a small minority of thyroid cancer patients that may benefit from EGFR inhibitors, but additional preclinical evidence of efficacy is needed.     

Increased IL-18 levels in seminal plasma of infertile men with genital tract infections

PROBLEM: Interleukin (IL)-18 is a novel cytokine, previously known as interferon (IFN)-gamma inducing factor. We evaluated the levels of IL-18 and IFN-gamma in seminal plasma (SP) of fertile and infertile men. METHOD OF STUDY: Semen samples were obtained by masturbation from 80 men, and were examined for the levels of IL-18 and IFN-gamma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Seven groups were included: (i) fertile men (n = 18), (i) infertile men with genital tract infections (n = 17), (iii) with varicocele (n = 15), (iv) with Klinefelter syndrome (n = 6), (v) with cryptorchidism (n = 7), (vi) with mumps orchitis (n = 7), and (vii) with idiopathic testicular lesions (n = 10). RESULTS: Mean levels of IL-18 were higher in SP from infertile men with genital tract infections compared with SP from other groups except Klinefelter syndrome (P < 0.05). However, no significant differences could be detected for IFN-gamma. A significant positive correlations was found between IL-18 and IFN-gamma in total patient population (P < 0.001). Moreover, a negative correlation was observed between IL-18 and sperm concentrations, and motility (P < 0.01 and < 0.03, respectively). Furthermore, there was a positive and statistically significant association between IL-18 and IFN-gamma levels in SP of infertile men with genital tract infections (P < 0.0001). However, there was no relationship between IL-18 and IFN-gamma, and semen parameters in the same group. CONCLUSION: SP IL-18 levels were increased in men with urogenital infections. Thus, the elevated expression of IL-18 in SP may be used as a diagnostic marker in the male genital tract infections.     

Familial Mediterranean Fever in Crete: a genetic and structural biological approach in a population of 'intermediate risk'

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is an autosomal, recessively inherited disease, characterized by recurrent and short attacks of fever with serosal inflammation that are caused by mutations in MEFV gene that encodes pyrin protein. To date, more than 70 disease-associated mutations have been identified, almost all of them representing missense nucleotide changes. FMF is very common among patients with Mediterranean ancestry, although the exact prevalence is not yet known, Greeks are considered to be at 'intermediate risk'. In the present study, we studied FMF patients in natives of Crete, a population sharing a common genetic and cultural background. The spectrum of MEFV gene mutations in 71 patients as well as 158 healthy controls was studied by performing a molecular analysis focused on the 12 most frequent FMF-associated mutations. We found that 59 of 71 (83.1%) FMF patients had at least one MEFV mutation, five patients were homozygotes and 54 heterozygotes for FMF-associated mutations. No mutations were detected in 12 patients (16.9%). As in high-risk populations, common MEFV mutations were found in Cretan FMF patients, with the M694V being the most penetrant. M694V and M694I mutations were associated with severe phenotypes, with many patients presenting with uncommon clinical manifestations such as erysipelas-like erythema or renal disturbances. Of interest, 20 (37%) of our heterozygous FMF patients presented with a severe phenotype. Population genetics analysis showed an FMF carrier frequency in healthy Cretan population of approximately 6% (1:17) and places Cretans closer to the Western rather than Eastern populations of the Mediterranean basin. Finally, we constructed a three-dimensional model showing the interaction of the PRYSPRY domain of pyrin with caspase-1 onto which we mapped MEFV mutations, classified according to disease severity. In this model, the 'flexible loops' of caspase-1 appear to have no access to some positions that have been previously associated with mild disease, suggesting that alternative pathogenic pathways leading to FMF need to be explored.     

Barriers in implementing research findings in cancer care: the Greek registered nurses perceptions.

This study explored Greek nurses' perceptions of the barriers to research utilization faced in every day practice. The barriers between nurses working in cancer and general hospitals, as well as between those employed at central and provincial hospitals were compared. The study used a cross-sectional design and data were collected using the "Barriers Scale" (Funk et al., 1991a, Applied Nursing Research, 4, 39-45). A convenience sample of 301 nurses was randomly selected from 12 hospitals in Greece. The two key barriers identified were related to the 'availability of research findings'. English language was perceived to range between moderate and major barrier for the vast majority of participants (n = 231, 78%). Nurses surveyed indicated the presentation of research findings as the greatest barrier while the characteristics of nurses themselves were perceived as the least important one. No significant differences were found between types of hospitals (cancer/general) and geographical areas (central/provincial). Some differences, however, were observed in relation to specific items of the scale such as feeling isolated from 'research-knowledgeable' colleagues and having insufficient time to implement new ideas. The observations reported here appear to agree with the findings in mainstream literature. The results suggest that more emphasis should be given in research methodology, statistics and critical appraisal skills at all levels of nursing education, and that efforts should be made towards increasing research availability and creating supportive environments for implementation of research findings.     

The health related quality of life of the employees in the Greek hospitals: assessing how healthy are the health workers

Background  

The main aim of the study was to assess the health status and health related quality of life of the personnel of the Hellenic Network of Health Promotion Hospitals. The instrument used was SF-36. An additional aim was to contribute to the validation of the SF-36.