Alternative management of waste of electrical and electronic equipment in Greece

Recycling of Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in Greece is in the primary stage. Whilst recycling programs in general and for WEEE in particular, are common in other countries such as the UK, Netherlands, Denmark etc, in Greece it was only in 2000 that the qualified authorities began to discuss such recycling. The need for new WEEE management options, such as recycling, came up when the integration of community law in national legislation set obligations, requirements and targets concerning WEEE recycling. However, there are several factors to consider in the development of a successful national recycling program. This program should be based on its economic sustainability, technical feasibility and a realistic level of social support for the program. Since electronic recycling has a short history, there is not yet a solid infrastructure in place or the knowledge and a positive attitude to recycling. On the other hand, the existing collective system faces many weaknesses and obstacles, such as the turnover of recycling products in the informal market, which complicates further the effective implementation of the obligations that Greek and European legislation sets. Several issues are discussed concerning the awareness of all involved in the WEEE management process

Coronary Artery Aneurysms: Comprehensive Review and a Case Report of a Left Main Coronary Artery Aneurysm

Coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) are rare anatomical disorders of the coronary arteries. Atherosclerosis and Kawasaki disease are the principal causes of CCAs, while other causes including genetic factors, inflammatory arterial diseases, connective tissue disorders, endothelial damage after cocaine use, iatrogenic complications after interventions and infections, are also common among patients with CAAs. Although there is a variety of noninvasive methods including echocardiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, coronary angiography remains the gold standard diagnostic method. There is still no consensus about the most appropriate therapeutic strategy. Medical therapy including antiplatelets, anticoagulants, statins and ACEs are preferred either in patients with atherosclerosis, inflammatory status and stable CAAs, while percutaneous or surgery interventions are usually applied in patients with acute coronary syndrome due to a CAA culprit, obstructive coronary artery disease or large saccular aneurysms at a high risk of rupturing. © 2023 Elsevier Inc

Oxidative stress in ageing and disease development studied by FT-IR spectroscopy

FT-IR spectroscopy was used to investigate the effect of oxidative stress and to approach the mechanism on cancer bone demineralization, aortic valve mineralization and heterotopic ossification on disease development. The FT-IR spectra obtained from paediatric, adult bone and ex vivo irradiated adult healthy bone with a dose of 20 Gy were compared with those of healthy bone. The increase of band intensity changes of vasCH2 vsCH2 in the region 3000–2850 cm−1 depended on aging, the disease progression and the dose of irradiation. The bands at 3080 cm−1 and 1744 cm−1, which originate from olefinic terminal bond (v = CH) and ester carbonyl group (vRO–C[dbnd]O), respectively, indicate the influence of oxidative stress on lipid degradation and peroxidation, respectively. The new bands at about 1690 cm−1 and 1516 cm−1 denote the presence of β-sheet conformation of the proteins due to the diseases, confirming the increasing amount of lipophilic environment and fibril formation. Comparison of the FT-IR spectra of calcified aortic valve and hip heterotopic ossification with that of normal bones showed that in the bone-like formation the peroxide anion free radicals play an important role in the disease. © 2017 Elsevier B.V