The diet and feeding ecology of Conger conger (L. 1758) in the deep waters of the Eastern Ionian Sea

The diet of the European conger eel Conger conger was investigated for the first time in the Eastern Mediterranean. Fish dominated the European conger eel diet in the deep waters of E. Ionian Sea. All other prey taxa were identified as accidental preys. However, intestine analysis showed that Natantia, Brachyura and Cephalopoda might have a more important contribution in the diet of the species. C. conger exhibited a benthopelagic feeding behavior as it preyed upon both demersal and mesopelagic taxa. The high vacuity index and the low stomach and intestine fullness indicated that the feeding intensity of the species in the deep waters of Eastern Ionian Sea was quite low. C. conger feeding strategy was characterised by specialisation in various resource items. A between-phenotype contribution to niche width was observed for some prey categories. European Conger eel feeding specialisation seemed to be an adaptation to a food-scarce environment, as typified in deep-water habitat

Maternal vitamin D status and development of asthma and allergy in early childhood

Vitamin D has an indisputable immunodulatory role in both lung and immune system development, which is initiated during fetal life and is mainly accomplished in the first years of extrauterine life. Several published studies have shown that low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of developing asthma and allergic diseases. Moreover, vitamin D deficiency epidemic reported over the last decades coincides with an increase in the prevalence of asthma and allergies in westernized societies. Since placental transfer of 25(OH)D is the major source of vitamin D in the developing fetus, important questions concerning the impact of maternal vitamin D status on the outcome of pregnancy have arisen. The aim of this review is to present the current evidence regarding the determinants of vitamin D status in pregnancy as well as its role in the development of asthma and allergies in early childhood. © 2015, Bentham Science Publishers

Food protein induced proctocolitis: A benign condition with an obscure immunologic mechanism

Food protein-induced proctocolitis (FPIP) is the most common colonic manifestation of food allergy in infants, accounting for up to 60% of exclusively breast-fed children. The causative foods derived from the mother’s diet, which are then excreted in her milk. The suggested risk factors for the development of FPIP are an immature immune system, altered intestinal permeability and other factors that activate local immune function, such as genetic susceptibility in combination with particularly sensitizing foods. FPIP is an enhanced immune responsiveness of some infants to very small amounts of food antigens, inducing an inflammatory mucosal response, mediated by T cells. © 2017 Bentham Science Publishers

Prenatal maternal stress and the risk of asthma in children

Emerging evidence indicate that maternal prenatal stress (MPS) can result in a range of long-term adverse effects in the offspring. The underlying mechanism of MPS is not fully understood. However, its complexity is emphasized by the number of purportedly involved pathways namely, placental deregulated metabolism of maternal steroids, impaired maturation of fetal HPA axis, imbalanced efflux of commensal bacteria across the placenta, and skewed immune development toward Th2. Fetal programming proba-bly exerts a pivotal role in the end result of the above pathways through the modulation of gene expression. In this review, we highlight the current knowledge from epidemiological and experimental studies regarding the effects of MPS on asthma development in the offspring. © 2017 Douros, Moustaki, Tsabouri, Papadopoulou, Papadopoulos and Priftis

Bronchial hyper-responsiveness in selective IgA deficiency

Secretory IgA in mucosal secretions has a broad protective function. The insufficient protection provided by the respiratory mucosa in children with selective IgA deficiency (sIgAD) might facilitate the development of bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) and consequently asthma symptoms. This study was conducted to clarify the prevalence of BHR in sIgAD children and the relationship with atopic status. A cohort of 20 children (group A) aged 6.4-20.1 yr (median: 12.6) with sIgAD (serum IgA < 6 mg/dl) were evaluated for BHR using inhaled hypertonic saline test as well as for atopy by skin prick testing (SPT) to eight common aero-allergens. Seventy other children with normal levels of serum IgA, but sensitized to aero-allergens (group B) and 102 with normal IgA and negative SPTs (group C) were also evaluated. Baseline spirometry demonstrated that forced vital capacity (FVC) values in group A were significantly lower than in C. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s values were similar in all groups, but impairment of the forced expiratory flow over the middle half of the FVC was detected in group B. The prevalence of BHR was similar among group A (30.0%) and group B (35.7%) (p = 0.79) but they differed from group C (5.9%) (p = 0.005). An association between BHR and reported current (p = 0.001) but not lifetime asthma symptoms among group A was also observed. There was no association between atopy and BHR in group A but only to mites' sensitization (p = 0.03). In conclusion, these results indicate that sIgAD constitutes a risk factor for development of BHR but it appears to be related to sensitization to mites. © 2005 Blackwell Munksgaard

Infections of deep hand and wrist compartments

The human hand is the most exposed part of the body to highest risk for injuries, loss of the skin integrity, and to the inoculation of bacteria, most commonly Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus β-haemolytic, and gram-negative. In case of an infection, the mobile anatomical structures and the synovial membranes in close proximity to each other may spread the pus towards deep spaces and compartments. Mild early infections without an abscess formation may respond to antibiotics, but at more advanced stage, erythema, swelling, stiffness, and severe pain may ensue. Abscess formation will cause debilitating pain, fever, systemic symptoms, and even sepsis. Necrotizing infections may threaten not only the limb, but also patient’s life. Therefore, an initially “trivial” hand injury should never be neglected, as it might turn into a deep space infection, which must be treated immediately with drainage, wound debridement, and i.v. antibiotics. Delay in diagnosis and inadequate initial management might rapidly lead to abscess formation, destruction of the gliding surfaces and the normal anatomy, and irreparable functional deterioration. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and inflammatory markers in children with asthma

Introduction: There is accumulated evidence supporting a beneficial role of Mediterranean diet (MD) in the control of asthma symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between adherence to MD and serum levels of certain cytokines namely, interleukin (IL)-4, and IL-17 known to have a pathogenetic role in the airway changes associated with asthma. Methods: We measured serum IL-4, IL-33, and IL-17, in 44 asthmatic and 26 healthy children, 5–15 years old. Their adherence to MD was estimated with the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents (KIDMED) score. Results: KIDMED score did not differ between the two groups (P = 0.59) and was not correlated with any of the three measured cytokines. However, when the analysis was restricted only to asthmatic children, the KIDMED score was correlated with IL-4, IL-33, and IL-17 (Beta: −0.56, P = 0.007; Beta: 0.57, P = 0.010; Beta: −0.62, P = 0.017, respectively). Conclusion: Our results indicate that MD can modulate the production of some of the main inflammatory mediators of asthma, in asthmatic children. © 2018 SEICA

Governing marine ecosystem restoration : the role of discourses and uncertainties

Governing marine environments has evolved from dominant interests in exploitation, allocation, conservation, and protection to restoration. Compared to terrestrial and freshwater environments, restoration of and in marine ecosystems presents a new mode of intervention with both technical and governance challenges. This paper aims to enhance understanding of the important factors at play in governing marine ecosystem restoration. Discourses of marine ecosystem restoration are an important factor which shape how the restoration activity is governed, as discourses structure how actors and coalitions define problems and their approaches to solutions. The article produces a conceptual model of the discourses of marine ecosystem restoration, built on two dimensions: (1) the degree of human intervention and (2) motivations for restoration. Together, these dimensions create four broad restoration discourses: “Putting Nature First,” “Bringing Nature Back,” “Helping Nature support Humans,” and “Building with Nature.” Moreover, marine ecosystem restoration is confronted with different forms of uncertainty, such as incomplete knowledge, unpredictability, and ambiguity, which must be managed by actors participating in restoration initiatives. The article's overall contribution is the synthesis of these components, which illuminates the specific governance challenges under various circumstances.</p

Comparison in asthma and allergy prevalence in the two major cities in Greece: The ISAAC phase II survey

Background: Variability in the prevalence of allergic diseases has been detected not only between different countries, but also between cities with similar national and different socio-economic or climatic characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of childhood asthma and allergies and which factors are associated with them, in the two largest Greek cities, Athens and Thessaloniki. Methods: Two thousand and twenty-three Greek 9-10-year-old schoolchildren from Athens (Central Greece) and Thessaloniki (North Greece, more humid), were included in ISAAC-II study. All participants followed the ISAAC-II protocol by questionnaire, skin prick testing and flexural dermatitis examination. Results: Compared with Athens, the prevalence of current wheezing (8.4% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.002), lifetime asthma (11.5% vs. 7.7%, p = 0.004), atopic current asthma (3.2% vs. 1.6%, p=0.02), allergic rhinitis (8.2% vs. 5.2%, p = 0.007), and hay fever (21.7% vs. 12.5%, p. &lt;. 0.001) were higher in Thessaloniki. The overall sensitisation rate was also higher in Thessaloniki than in Athens (25.2% vs. 16%, p. &lt;. 0.001) with more prevalent sensitising due to the perennial allergens (D. pteronyssinus, D. farinae, Alternaria tenuis) and cat dander. Perennial allergens sensitisation was a risk factor for current asthma in both cities. Conclusion: A higher prevalence of asthma symptoms, allergic rhinitis, and sensitisation rate was detected in Greek schoolchildren living in Thessaloniki compared to those in Athens. Allergy to mites and mould was more prevalent in Thessaloniki. The more humid weather of Thessaloniki may be implicated. © 2010 SEICAP

Antioxidant foods consumption and childhood asthma and other allergic diseases: The Greek cohorts of the ISAAC II survey

Background: Antioxidant intake changes have been implicated with the increase in asthma and allergies outcomes, but no clear association has been revealed. In this cross sectional study, the overall effect of antioxidants on asthma and allergic diseases was studied. Methods: Data from the cohorts of the phase II ISAAC survey (2023 children 9-10 years old) in two metropolitan Greek cities were analysed. Using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, an Antioxidant Eating Index (AEI, range 0-6) was created with the pro-antioxidant (vegetables, fruits, fresh juice, fish) and the non-antioxidant (meat, burgers) food intake and was evaluated with allergic diseases. Higher values of the score suggest closer to an &quot;antioxidant&quot; and lesser to a &quot;saturated fatty&quot; diet. Results: Prevalence of lifetime and current asthma, current rhinitis and sensitisation were higher in Thessaloniki compared to Athens. The AEI score of the entire cohort was 4.2 ± 1.2 (median 4.0) and was higher in Athens compared to Thessaloniki (4.3 ± 1.2 vs. 4.0 ± 1.2, p = 0.001) and in girls than boys (4.3 ± 1.1 vs. 4.0 ± 1.2, p = 0.001). AEI was inversely associated with lifetime asthma (OR: 0.87, 95%CI 0.77, 0.99) in either cities independently of other cofounders such as family history, sensitisation, exercise, house smoking, breast feeding, pet or dampness in houses. No association with other allergic disease or sensitisation was detected. Conclusion: Antioxidant foods seem to be a non-pharmacological, protective dietary pattern for asthma development in children irrespectively of atopy or heredity; AEI was a rough indicator and the role of antioxidants in allergic diseases is still under consideration. © 2014 SEICAP