Assessing the role of arsenic exposure and MIRNA-186 in skin tumorigenesis and chromosomal instability.

Chronic arsenic exposure through drinking water is a global health issue, affecting more than 200 million people. Arsenic is a group I human carcinogen and causes chromosomal instability (CIN). Arsenic exposure is the second most cause of skin cancer after UV radiation. MiR-186 is overexpressed in arsenic-induced squamous cell carcinoma relative to premalignant hyperkeratosis. Predicted targets of miR-186 are cell cycle regulators. Thus, we hypothesize that miR-186 overexpression drives malignant transformation of HaCaT cells by induction of CIN. Stable clones of HaCaT transfected with pEP-miR-186 expression vector or empty vector were maintained under puromycin selection were exposed to 0 or 100 nM NaAsO2 and cultured for 29 weeks. HaCaT overexpressing miR-186 and exposed to NaAsO2 showed growth ability in agar at 12 weeks and increased CIN in contrast to unexposed vector control cells. These cells also undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transition and form colonies in agar at 29 weeks. These results suggest that miR-186 overexpression exacerbates the arsenite-induced CIN and potentially is associated with accelerated skin carcinogenesis

THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE MORPHOMETRIC PARAMETERS OF AN HYDROGRAPHIC NETWORK TO THE INVESTIGATION OF THE NEOTECTONIC ACTIVITY: AN APPLICATION TO THE UPPER ACHELOOS RIVER.

In this paper the relationship between the morphometric parameters of a drainage system and the neotectonic activity is investigated. The hydrographie network of the Upper Acheloos River was chosen as the study area. The whole network and especially its western-southwestern part appears to be in the rejuvenated stage of evolution, as it is concluded by the analysis of the parameters, associated with the shape and slope of the basins, and the slope of the respective streams. Furthermore, the shape of the drainage network and the structure of the basins suggest that not only the Alpine orogenesis but also the neotectonic activity controls the morphogenetic processes in the are

Dysregulated placental microRNAs in Early and Late onset Preeclampsia

Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.INTRODUCTION: To determine the miRNA expression profile in placentas complicated by Preeclampsia (PE) and compare it to uncomplicated pregnancies. METHODS: Sixteen placentas from women with PE, [11 with early onset PE (EOPE) and 5 with late onset PE (LOPE)], as well as 8 placentas from uncomplicated pregnancies were analyzed using miRNA microarrays. For statistical analyses the MATLAB® simulation environment was applied. The over-expression of miR-518a-5p was verified using Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction. RESULTS: Forty four miRNAs were found dysregulated in PE complicated placentas. Statistical analysis revealed that miR-431, miR-518a-5p and miR-124* were over-expressed in EOPE complicated placentas as compared to controls, whereas miR-544 and miR-3942 were down-regulated in EOPE. When comparing the miRNA expression profile in cases with PE and PE-growth restricted fetuses (FGR), miR-431 and miR-518a-5p were found over-expressed in pregnancies complicated by FGR. DISCUSSION: Since specific miRNAs can differentiate EOPE and LOPE from uncomplicated placentas, they may be considered as putative PE-specific biomarkers. MiR-518a-5p emerged as a potential diagnostic indicator for EOPE cases as well as for PE-FGR complicated placentas, indicating a potential link to the severity of the disease.Peer reviewe

Οι επιπτώσεις των σεισμών στις τουριστικές επιχειρήσεις. Μελέτη περίπτωσης: Η σεισμική δραστηριότητα του 2014 στην Κεφαλονιά

Ο τομέας του τουρισμού επηρεάζεται σε μεγάλο βαθμό από ανθρωπογενείς και φυσικές καταστροφές καθώς και από διάφορα είδη κρίσεων που εκδηλώνονται είτε στον τόπο προορισμού είτε σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο. Η Ελλάδα είναι η έκτη σε σεισμικότητα χώρα στον κόσμο, η πρώτη στην Ευρώπη. Η Κεφαλονιά βρίσκεται στην πιο σεισμικά ενεργή ζώνη της Ελλάδας, στη ζώνη ΙΙΙ του Χάρτη Ζωνών Επικινδυνότητας της χώρας. Η Κεφαλονιά είναι ένα νησί που βρίσκεται στο Ιόνιο πέλαγος, στο ΒΔ άκρο του Ελληνικού τόξου, στη ζώνη υποβύθισης της Ευρασιατικής Τεκτονικής πλάκας κάτω από την Αφρικανική. Η θέση της αυτή είναι καθοριστική στη διαμόρφωση της τεκτονικής δομής της. Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι πολύ μεγάλο (ίσως το μεγαλύτερο) μέρος της οικονομίας της Κεφαλονιάς, όπως και άλλων περιοχών της χώρας, σήμερα στηρίζεται στον Τουρισμό. Πολλοί σεισμοί έχουν πλήξει την Κεφαλονιά, κάποιοι από τους οποίους προκάλεσαν βλάβες στις υποδομές και στο περιβάλλον, όπως αυτοί που έπληξαν το νησί τον χειμώνα του 2014. Οι δύο ισχυροί σεισμοί που σημειώθηκαν στις 26 Ιανουαρίου και στις 3 Φεβρουαρίου 2014, καθώς και η μετασεισμική ακολουθία που ακολούθησε, προκάλεσαν αρκετές υλικές ζημιές κυρίως σε δημόσια κτήρια, σχολεία, εργατικές κατοικίες, εκκλησίες νεκροταφεία αλλά και σε οδικούς άξονες, στα λιμάνια Ληξουρίου και Αργοστολίου, σε δημόσια έργα, (προβλήτες, πεζοδρόμια, δρόμους, παραλιακός πεζόδρομος κλπ). Οι ζημιές ήταν πιο έντονες στην ευρύτερη περιοχή της Παλικής. Σε διάφορες περιοχές παρατηρήθηκαν και έντονα κατολισθητικά φαινόμενα (π.χ. Μύρτος, Πλατιά Άμμος, Πετανοί κ.λπ.). Στην παρούσα εργασία διερευνώνται οι επιπτώσεις της σεισμικής δραστηριότητας του 2014 στις τουριστικές επιχειρήσεις του νησιού καθώς και στη γενικότερη ανάπτυξη του τουρισμού στο νησί. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό δημιουργήθηκαν ερωτηματολόγια τα οποία διανεμήθηκαν σε διάφορες ομάδες-στόχους εμπλεκόμενες με την τουριστική βιομηχανία ιδιοκτήτες ξενοδοχειακών μονάδων – καταλυμάτων – επιχειρήσεων εστίασης κλπ, και τουρίστες. Τα αποτελέσματα καθώς και κάποια συμπεράσματα επ’ αυτών παρατίθενται παρακάτω.The tourism sector is heavily influenced by man-made and natural disasters as well as by various types of crises that occur either at a specific destination or in a global level. Greece is the sixth country in seismicity in the world, the first in Europe. Kefalonia is located in the most seismically active area of Greece, in zone III of the country's Hazard Zones Charter. Kefalonia is an island located in the Ionian Sea, at the NW edge of the Greek Arc, in the subduction zone of the Eurasian Tectonic Plate below the African. Its position plays a decisive role in shaping of its tectonic structure. It is worth mentioning that a very big amount (perhaps the biggest) of the economy of Kefalonia, as of other regions of the country, is now based on Tourism. Many earthquakes have hit Kefalonia, some of which caused damage to its infrastructures and the environment, such as those that hit the island in the winter of 2014. The two powerful earthquakes that took place on January 26 and February 3, 2014, as well as the aftershock sequence that followed them, caused material damage mainly to public buildings, schools, public housing, churches, cemeteries as well as to roads, the ports of Lixouri and Argostoli, and to public works (piers, sidewalks, streets, coastal pedestrian street, etc.). The damage was more pronounced in the wider area of Paliki. Various landslides were also observed (eg. Myrtos, Platia Ammos, Petani etc). This thesis investigates the impact of the 2014 seismic activity on island tourist businesses as well as the general development of tourism on the island. In this context, questionnaires were produced which were distributed to different target groups involved in the tourism industry. The results as well as some conclusions drawn on them are listed below

Nurses’ Work Environment and Practice as A Predictor of Burnout

Background: The proportion of nurses who experience burnout is particularly high. The study aimed to evaluate the demographics and working environment and practice of the nursing staff and their level of burnout. Methods: A cross-sectional study was implemented in three hospitals on n=290 nurses from July-August 2020. The Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index was used to evaluate nurses’ work environment and assessment of participants’ degree of burnout was carried out using the tool Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Multiple linear regression was used to find association and p <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The nurses’ work environment was characterized as unhealthy, as the total score was 2.32, and four of the five subscales were also rated lower than 2.5. Nurses were found to experience moderate burnout. The subscale of personal burnout gathered the highest score. The nurses’ practice in hospital affairs was associated with lower personal (b=−7.3,95%CI=-12.2 to -2.4, p=0.004), work-related (b=−9.5,95%CI=-14.4 to -4.8, p<0.001) and patient-related burnout (b=−10.6, 95%CI=-16.1 to -5.1, p<0.001). Also, nurse manager ability, leadership, and support of nurses were associated with lower personal (b=−6.5, 95% CI= -10.9 to -2, p=0.005) and work-related burnout (b = −5.8, 95%CI=-10.1 to -1.4, p=0.009). Conclusion: The nurses were found to experience significant burnout p < 0.001. But then again this was negatively influenced by their work environment. Keywords: Burnout, Hospital, Nurse, Work, Environment