Milk ties : a commodity chain approach to Greek culture

The thesis explores aspects of contemporary Greek culture as it emerges from the study of production, distribution and consumption of dairy products. Contrary to views of commoditisation as cultural homogenisation, this research is based on the premise that commodity chains constitute a central mechanism for the negotiation of cultural meaning and the construction of social relations in contemporary societies. As part of material culture studies, the research draws on insights provided by a variety of disciplines, such as social anthropology, human geography, cultural studies and marketing. In its totality, the thesis allows for a study of the transition to a highly marketised economy, considering simultaneously multiple levels of meaning formation and identity construction related to food. With particular focus on representations of time and space, the traditional and the modern, a variety of sites are explored, where cultural meaning is produced and negotiated: the marketing department of dairy companies, advertising agencies, small food stores, supermarkets and consumer households, while special reference is made to a rural-urban network of food provisioning established as a result of extensive internal migration. Fieldwork within those contexts is complemented with a consideration of global processes, such as the EU regulation on geographical indications and scientific claims about the Mediterranean model of diet. Dairy products are approached as the link between the various contexts of meaning that emerge through their circulation in society, and as mediators in the construction of social relations

Adiponectin in relation to childhood myeloblastic leukaemia

Adiponectin, an adipocyte-specific secretory protein known to induce apoptosis, has been reported to be inversely related to breast and endometrial cancers and recently found to inhibit proliferation of myeloid but not lymphoid cell lines. We hypothesised that adiponectin may be inversely associated with acute myeloblastic leukaemia (AML), but not with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia of B (ALL-B) or T (ALL-T) cell origin in children. Blood samples and clinical information were collected over the period 1996–2000 from 201 children (0–14 years old) with leukaemia (22 AML, 161 ALL-B and 18 ALL-T cases) through a national network of childhood Hematology-Oncology units in Greece and from 201 controls hospitalised for minor pediatric ailments. Serum adiponectin levels were measured under code, at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA using a radioimmunoassay procedure. Each of the three leukaemia groups was compared with the control group through multiple logistic regression. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for an increase of adiponectin equal to 1 s.d. among controls were estimated controlling for gender, age, as well as for height and weight, expressed in age–gender-specific centiles of Greek growth curves. Adiponectin was inversely associated with AML (OR=0.56; 95% CI, 0.34–0.94), whereas it was not significantly associated with either ALL-B (OR=0.88; 95% CI, 0.71–1.10) or ALL-T (OR=1.08; 95% CI, 0.67–1.72). Biological plausibility and empirical evidence point to the importance of this hormone in the pathogenesis of childhood AML

Endocrine correlates of male breast cancer risk: a case-control study in Athens, Greece

We studied the relation of certain endocrine-related variables among 23 cases of male breast cancer and 76 apparently healthy male controls. There were significant inverse associations with smoking (P = 0.03), birth order (P = 0.02) and reported frequency of orgasms in later life (P = 0.0004). The study provides strong indirect evidence that endocrine factors are important in the aetiology of male breast cancer. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Serological survey of Chlamydia abortus in Greek dairy sheep flocks

Chlamydiosis due to Chlamydia abortus is one of the most common causes of abortion in small ruminant flocks worldwide. Although the causative agent is zoonotic, chlamydiosis is not a reportable disease. There is lack of recent data concerning sheep chlamydiosis in Greece.In the current study, a serological investigation for Chlamydia abortus was conducted. Blood samples from 26 randomly selected sheep flocks not vaccinated against chlamydiosis were collected. From each flock, 15 to 20 blood samples were taken from adult female sheep. In total 464 blood samples were examined. One hundred and six samples were positive (22.8%), while 24 samples (5.24%) were doubtful.  Moreover, at farm level, in 18 out of the total number of 26 farms, at least one positive animal was detected (69.2%).Chlamydiosis is considered a highly likely cause of sheep abortion in Greece. Therefore, vaccination of the sheep flocks is strongly recommended for the prevention and control of the disease.