Pleiotropic vasoprotective effects of statins: The chicken or the egg?

Statins (3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A [HMG-CoA] reductase inhibitors) are the most commonly used lipid-lowering drugs. Their main lipid-lowering effect is achieved by an increase in the expression of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol receptors associated with inhibition of cholesterol synthesis through inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase – the first and rate-limiting step in cholesterol synthesis. However, beyond cholesterol synthesis inhibition, inhibition of the HMG-CoA reductase affects as well the synthesis of other molecules with significant roles in different, yet often intercalating, metabolic pathways. On this basis, and supported by an increasing series of advocating epidemiological and experimental data, an extended dialogue has been established over the last few years regarding the nonlipid or “pleiotropic” actions of statins

Antiatherogenic effects of vitamin E: the search for the Holy Grail

Vitamin E, a naturally occurring antioxidant, has been found to reduce atherosclerotic lesion formation in animal models as well as cardiovascular morbidity in several observational studies. However, a number of case-control and prospective cohort studies failed to confirm its value in the primary and secondary prevention of morbidity and mortality from coronary artery disease. Several small or larger randomized interventional trials completed to date failed to resolve the conflict. Notably, even in large, well-conducted prospective epidemiologic studies, the potential effects of residual confounding may be on the same order of magnitude as the reported benefit. The response to vitamin E supplementation in specific patient subpopulations with chronic inflammation and/or higher degrees of oxidative stress has not been studied as yet. Therefore, further large randomized interventional trials are warranted to clarify accurately the role of vitamin E in the primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic coronary disease in these patient groups

Παραμετρικοί - Προσεγγιστικοί Αλγόριθμοι και Ιδιότητες Erdős-Pósa σε Γραφήματα

Η διατριβή αυτή επικεντρώνεται στη μελέτη παραμετρικών προσεγγιστικών αλγορίθμων που σχετίζονται με γραφήματα κολοκύθες. Χρησιμοποιώντας μία γενικευμένη προσέγγιση (που μπορεί να επεκταθεί και σε πιο γενικές κλάσεις γραφημάτων) σχεδιάζουμε αλγορίθμους που ανιχνεύουν μοντέλα κολοκυθών και που χτυπούν μοντέλα κολοκυθών σε μεγάλα γραφήματα. Στηριζόμενοι σε αυτούς τους αλγορίθμους αποδεικνύουμε ιδιότητες τύπου Erdős-Pósa ως προς κορυφές και ακμές για τις κλάσεις των κολοκυθών και των διπλών κολοκυθών· για την πρώτη βελτιώνουμε υπάρχοντα αποτελέσματα ενώ για τη δεύτερη παρέχουμε τα πρώτα του είδους τους. Στην πορεία προς τούτο, γενικεύουμε προηγούμενα αποτέλεσματα που παρέχουν συνθήκες οι οποίες εξαναγκάζουν την ύπαρξη μιας ελάσσονος κλίκας εκθετικού μεγέθους μέσα σε ένα μεγαλύτερο γράφημα-φορέα.This thesis is centred around the study of parameterized approximation algorithms related to pumpkin graphs. Using a generalised approach (which could be expanded to other graph classes) we design algorithms that find pumpkin models and hit pumpkin models in large graphs. Based on these algorithms we prove Erdős-Pósa- like results, both for vertices and edges, for the classes of pumpkins and double pumpkins; for the former we improve previous results and for the latter we provide the first such results. As a necessary step in our process, but of independent value, we generalise previous results that provide conditions which force the existence of a clique of exponential size as a minor inside a larger host-graph

FPT Algorithms for Plane Completion Problems

The Plane Subgraph (resp. Topological Minor) Completion problem asks, given a (possibly disconnected) plane (multi)graph Gamma and a connected plane (multi)graph Delta, whether it is possible to add edges in Gamma without violating the planarity of its embedding so that it contains some subgraph (resp. topological minor) that is topologically isomorphic to Delta. We give FPT algorithms that solve both problems in f(|E(Delta)|)*|E(Gamma)|^{2} steps. Moreover, for the Plane Subgraph Completion problem we show that f(k)=2^{O(k*log(k))}