THE ROLE OF BROCA’S AREA IN SYNTAX: A TMS STUDY ON WRITTEN GREEK LANGUAGE

A number of recent papers have addressed the potential of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to interfere with linguistic processes or speech production. In this paper we present an experiment with TMS to clarify the role of Broca’s area in syntactic processing. An experimental paradigm contrasted sentences that require syntactic and semantic decisions on written Greek language. We found a clue of selective priming effects on syntactic decisions but not on semantic decisions. Our results provide evidence of the involvement of Broca’s area in syntax

Role of Esrrg in the Fibrate-Mediated Regulation of Lipid Metabolism Genes in Human ApoA-I Transgenic Mice

We have used a new ApoA-I transgenic mouse model to identify by global gene expression profiling, candidate genes that affect lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in response to fenofibrate treatment. Multilevel bioinformatical analysis and stringent selection criteria (2-fold change, 0% false discovery rate) identified 267 significantly changed genes involved in several molecular pathways. The fenofibrate-treated group did not have significantly altered levels of hepatic human APOA-I mRNA and plasma ApoA-I compared with the control group. However, the treatment increased cholesterol levels to 1.95-fold mainly due to the increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The observed changes in HDL are associated with the upregulation of genes involved in phospholipid biosynthesis and lipid hydrolysis, as well as phospholipid transfer protein. Significant upregulation was observed in genes involved in fatty acid transport and β-oxidation, but not in those of fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis, Krebs cycle and gluconeogenesis. Fenofibrate changed significantly the expression of seven transcription factors. The estrogen receptor-related gamma gene was upregulated 2.36-fold and had a significant positive correlation with genes of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and mitochondrial functions, indicating an important role of this orphan receptor in mediating the fenofibrate-induced activation of a specific subset of its target genes.National Institutes of Health (HL48739 and HL68216); European Union (LSHM-CT-2006-0376331, LSHG-CT-2006-037277); the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens; the Hellenic Cardiological Society; the John F Kostopoulos Foundatio

WASTE PREVENTION SCENARIOS USING A WEB-BASED TOOL FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES

Abstract Waste prevention is the highest ranked priority in the European Waste Framework Directive. The aim of this paper is to present the design, development and main features of a web-based tool that enables local authorities to select and implement optimum waste prevention programmes for their local conditions and to prepare their Waste Prevention Plans. The aforementioned tool, namely the WASP-Tool, is implemented as a knowledge-based decision support system which extracts characteristics and features of the waste prevention strategy models and applies multi-criteria evaluation techniques in order to facilitate decision making. It has been developed in Greek and reflects Greek and Cypriot data, context and waste prevention potential, to facilitate its use by local authorities and local administration

The effect of stimulation technique on sympathetic skin responses in healthy subjects

The aim of this study was to collect normative data for sympathetic skin responses (SSR) elicited by electrical stimulus of the ipsilateral and contralateral peripheral nerves, and by magnetic stimulus of cervical cord. SSRs were measured at the mid-palm of both hands following electrical stimulation of the left median nerve at the wrist and magnetic stimulation at the neck in 40 healthy adult volunteers (mean age 52.2 ± 12.2 years, 19 males). The onset latency, peak latency, amplitude and area were estimated in “P” type responses (i.e., waveforms with a larger positive, compared to negative, component). SSR onset and peak latency were prolonged when the electrical stimulus was applied at the contralateral side (i.e., the SSR recorded in the right palm P < 0.001). The onset latency was similar on both sides during cervical magnetic stimulation. However, peak latency was faster on the left side (P < 0.03). Comparison of electrical and magnetic stimulation revealed that both the onset and peak latency were shorter with magnetic stimulation (P < 0.001). The latency of a SSR varies depending on what type of stimulation is used and where the stimulus is applied. Electrically generated SSRs have a longer delay and the delay is prolonged at the contralateral side. These factors should be taken into account when interpreting SSR data

Competitive Performance Effects of Psychological Skill Training for Youth Swimmers

This study assessed the effect of two different psychological methods of skills training-self-talk and goal setting-on the swimming performance of youth swimmers. We allocated a convenience sample of club and county level youth swimmers ( N  = 49; M age  = 10.8, SD  = 1.25) to one of the three groups: self-talk, goal setting, or a control group engaged in no systematic psychological method of skills training. The groups were balanced in terms of competitive performance ability, age, and gender. Participants in the experimental conditions (self-talk and goal setting) completed a 5-week psychological skills intervention program and were measured on pre- and post-200-m swimming time in competition. After controlling for level of engagement in the program, analysis of covariance revealed a significant omnibus effect ( p  = .006, η p 2  = .20) with post hoc pairwise comparisons using magnitude-based statistics demonstrating that goal setting had a small positive effect compared with self-talk ( η 2 = .40; ± 0.45). Both self-talk ( η 2 = .50; ±0.48) and goal setting ( η 2 = .71; ±0.4) showed a small and moderate positive effect, respectively, relative to the control group. A social validation check confirmed that the swimmers found the intervention to be relevant, beneficial, and meaningful for improving performance. Psychological skills training may be effective in improving youth swimming performance; specific mechanisms underlying these benefits need further exploration

Foreign bodies in the ears causing complications and requiring hospitalization in children 0-14 age: results from the ESFBI study

The occurrence of foreign bodies (FBs) in otorhinolaryngological practice is a common and serious problem among patients in paediatric age. The aim of this work is to characterize the risk of complications and prolonged hospitalization due to foreign bodies in ears in terms of the characteristics of the injured patients (age, gender), typology and features of the foreign bodies, the circumstances of the accident and the hospitalization's details