Haematoma caused by bone marrow aspiration and trephine biopsy

We report a case of a bone marrow aspiration and trephine biopsy (BMATB) associated haematoma in an 85-years old male without any predisposing risk factors. Six days after BMATB, he suffered from a massive thigh and buttock haematoma and a fall in haematocrit. It is important to know that BMATB can have complications aiding early recognition and therapy

karyo_RxRy.v1.0.1

Script for sex identification and aneuploidy detection using ancient DNA

Investigating the effects of service quality dimensions and expertise on loyalty

Purpose – Very little research has investigated the effects of service quality dimensions on customer loyalty. Also, up to now, no research has investigated the direct effect of expertise on loyalty and the moderating effect of expertise on the link between satisfaction and loyalty. This paper seeks to fill these gaps in the literature and to investigate the effects of individual dimensions of service quality in creating and enhancing customer loyalty via customer satisfaction. It also aims to investigate the direct and indirect effects of customer expertise on customer loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a causal modelling approach and proposes a conceptual model after an extensive review of the literature. The paper is based on a sample of 200 bank users in Greece who completed a self-administered questionnaire. The paper uses exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling to analyse and confirm the conceptual model proposed in this research. Findings – The paper finds that reliability, tangibility and empathy are positively related to customer satisfaction, which in turn is positively related to loyalty. Furthermore, while expertise is negatively related to loyalty, it positively moderates the link between satisfaction and loyalty. Originality/value – The paper discusses implications for brand managers in terms of targeting and advertising strategies and suggests future research directions

Investigating the effects of service quality dimensions and expertise on loyalty

Purpose – Very little research has investigated the effects of service quality dimensions on customer loyalty. Also, up to now, no research has investigated the direct effect of expertise on loyalty and the moderating effect of expertise on the link between satisfaction and loyalty. This paper seeks to fill these gaps in the literature and to investigate the effects of individual dimensions of service quality in creating and enhancing customer loyalty via customer satisfaction. It also aims to investigate the direct and indirect effects of customer expertise on customer loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a causal modelling approach and proposes a conceptual model after an extensive review of the literature. The paper is based on a sample of 200 bank users in Greece who completed a self-administered questionnaire. The paper uses exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling to analyse and confirm the conceptual model proposed in this research. Findings – The paper finds that reliability, tangibility and empathy are positively related to customer satisfaction, which in turn is positively related to loyalty. Furthermore, while expertise is negatively related to loyalty, it positively moderates the link between satisfaction and loyalty. Originality/value – The paper discusses implications for brand managers in terms of targeting and advertising strategies and suggests future research directions

Pesticide Residues and Metabolites in Greek Honey and Pollen: Bees and Human Health Risk Assessment

Background: Bees encounter a plethora of environmental contaminants during nectar and pollen collection from plants. Consequently, after their entrance into the beehives, the transfer of numerous pollutants to apicultural products is inevitable. Methods: In this context, during the period of 2015–2020, 109 samples of honey, pollen, and beebread were sampled and analyzed for the determination of pesticides and their metabolites. More than 130 analytes were investigated in each sample by applying two validated multiresidue methods (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS). Results: Until the end of 2020, 40 determinations were reported in honey, resulting in a 26% positive to at least one active substance. The concentrations of pesticides ranged from 1.3 ng/g to 785 ng/g honey. For seven active substances in honey and pollen, maximum residue limits (MRLs) exceedances were observed. Coumaphos, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, amitraz metabolites (DMF and DMPF), and tau-fluvalinate were the predominant compounds detected in honey, while several pyrethroids such as λ-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, and cyfluthrin were also found. Pollen and beebread, as expected, accumulated a higher number of active substances and metabolites (32 in total), exhibiting almost double the number of detections. Conclusions: Although the above findings verify the occurrence of numerous pesticide and metabolite residues in both honey and pollen, the human risk assessment in the majority of the cases does not raise any concerns, and the same applies to bee risk assessment

Revisiting Greek Propolis: Chromatographic Analysis and Antioxidant Activity Study

<div><p>Propolis is a bee product that has been extensively used in alternative medicine and recently has gained interest on a global scale as an essential ingredient of healthy foods and cosmetics. Propolis is also considered to improve human health and to prevent diseases such as inflammation, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. However, the claimed effects are anticipated to be correlated to its chemical composition. Since propolis is a natural product, its composition is consequently expected to be variable depending on the local flora alignment. In this work, we present the development of a novel HPLC-PDA-ESI/MS targeted method, used to identify and quantify 59 phenolic compounds in Greek propolis hydroalcoholic extracts. Amongst them, nine phenolic compounds are herein reported for the first time in Greek propolis. Alongside GC-MS complementary analysis was employed, unveiling eight additional newly reported compounds. The antioxidant activity study of the propolis samples verified the potential of these extracts to effectively scavenge radicals, with the extract of Imathia region exhibiting comparable antioxidant activity to that of quercetin.</p></div