Corporate Social Responsibility in a context of sustainable development

“The future we want”, the main document summarizing the action areas advocated by the Rio+20 conference (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 20-22nd), advocates “green economy” as a main instrument to eradicate poverty, while maintaining the healthy functioning of the environment. “Green economy” is a reply to global capitalism and the excesses of its elite practitioners, as they became manifest during the recent economic crisis. A classical contribution of the private business sector to sustainable development is corporate social responsibility (CSR). The concept dovetails in the doctrine that a company is not only responsible for a positive economic performance, but also has to take care about the environmental, social and ethical aspects of its activities. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3164

Sun lotion chemicals as endocrine disruptors

Ultraviolet solar radiation is a well-known environmental health risk factor and the use of sun lotions is encouraged to achieve protection mainly from skin cancer. Sun lotions are cosmetic commercial products that combine active and inactive ingredients and many of these are associated with health problems, including allergic reactions and endocrine disorders. This review focuses on their ability to cause endocrine and reproductive impairments, with emphasis laid on the active ingredients (common and less common UV filters). In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated their ability to show oestrogenic/anti-oestrogenic and androgenic/ anti-androgenic activity. Many ingredients affect the oestrous cycle, spermatogenesis, sexual behaviour, fertility and other reproductive parameters in experimental animals. Their presence in aquatic environments may reveal a new emerging environmental hazard. © 2015, Hellenic Endocrine Society. All rights reserved

The impact of endocrine disrupters on the female reproductive system

Over the last decades, many tonnes of man-made chemicals have been produced and released into the environment, Many of these chemical substances have the ability to modulate the action of hormones and are called endocrine disrupters. Cell receptors that have been pure receptors for thousands of years have (due to industrialization), become susceptible to the action of exogenous chemicals. The balance of the endocrine system is very important in the human body especially in females because the menstrual cycle and fertility are very sensitive to hormone imbalances, This review considers the mode of exposure and action of endocrine disrupters and focuses on their impact on the female reproductive system, including female hormone concentrations, menstrual cycle, fertility, spontaneous abortion and the development of endometriosis, An attempt is made to elucidate the impact of endocrine disrupters on the female reproductive system, while admitting that most scientific data come from experimental animals and the conclusions cannot be applied to humans easily. The aim is to present available information, highlighting the impact of endocrine disrupters on the female reproductive system, in order to stimulate reevaluation in identifying hormone disorders

Correlation between concentrations of heavy metals in children’s scalp hair and the environment. A case study from Kifissos River in Attica, Greece.

In recent years children’s head hair is a biomarker frequently used for monitoring environmental exposure to heavy metals. Blood, plasma, urine and other tissues analysis were the most popular approaches to evaluate the concentrations of trace elements in human body. However, hair sample is easily collected, stored and readily analyzed. As (arsenic), Cd (cadmium), Hg (mercury), Ni (nickel) and Pb (lead) poses a potential threat to humans. The aim of the study is to link the concentrations of heavy metals in children’s scalp hair with the environmental pollution by presenting an overview of the measurements that have been done in 12-year-old children’s scalp hair living at the municipalities of Kifisia and Kryoneri, in relation with trace metals concentrations in the river water, air and tree leaves at the north zone of Kifissos River in Athens, Greece. © 2017 Global NEST

Cosmetics as endocrine disruptors: are they a health risk?

Exposure to chemicals from different sources in everyday life is widespread; one such source is the wide range of products listed under the title “cosmetics”, including the different types of popular and widely-advertised sunscreens. Women are encouraged through advertising to buy into the myth of everlasting youth, and one of the most alarming consequences is in utero exposure to chemicals. The main route of exposure is the skin, but the main endpoint of exposure is endocrine disruption. This is due to many substances in cosmetics and sunscreens that have endocrine active properties which affect reproductive health but which also have other endpoints, such as cancer. Reducing the exposure to endocrine disruptors is framed not only in the context of the reduction of health risks, but is also significant against the background and rise of ethical consumerism, and the responsibility of the cosmetics industry in this respect. Although some plants show endocrine-disrupting activity, the use of well-selected natural products might reduce the use of synthetic chemicals. Instruments dealing with this problem include life-cycle analysis, eco-design, and green labels; in combination with the committed use of environmental management systems, they contribute to “corporate social responsibility”. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York

TRANS-DISCIPLINARITY AND GROWTH: Nature and Characteristics of Trans-disciplinary Training Programs on the Human-Environment Interphase

Smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth is the sine qua non for developed democracies today. At the heart of the growth engines of technology innovation and entrepreneurship fed by the fuel of creativity and invention lies trans-disciplinarity (TD) and beyond-the-box thinking (TB2) not just outside-the-box thinking. TD and TB2 flourish at the nexus of theories, policies, politics, and practices when the encompassing socio-political, socio-technical, and socio-economic ecosystem is endowed with a quadruple and quintuple innovation helix structure (Q2IH) organically and flexibly linking government, university, industry, and civil society within an overarching environmental framework. The increasing demand for trans-disciplinary training programs on the human system-environment interphase dovetail in considerations, including the need for addressing complex problems, in a way which transcends the collection of information from a multitude of disciplines and moving towards integrated, more holistic ways of understanding. This paper analyzes core characteristics of university programs adopting this trans-disciplinary approach. They differ from technical expertise programs in their integrated, innovative, and solution-targeted character in which contributions by and dialogues with stakeholders are essential. As trans-disciplinary approaches reach maturity, it becomes increasingly indicated organizing them as 4-year master degrees, entailing a 2-year multidisciplinary training during the bachelor years, completed with a 2-year training targeted towards integration of data and trans-disciplinary practice. In this latter context, attention for uncertainty, tacit knowledge, inspiring case studies, integrated training methods, and thesis-related practice surface more and more as important elements of the program content. In spite of their intellectual attraction and logical necessity, trans-disciplinary approaches also face weaknesses including their non-mainstream scientific character, the lack of methods allowing the integration of non-homogeneous data, the scientifically premature character of tacit knowledge, and the value-loaded aspect of the issues at stake. The extent to which trans-disciplinary programs will succeed overcoming these limitations will to a large extent determine their future. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York

Contribution of nuclear morphometry by confocal laser scanning microscopy to the diagnosis of malignant bile duct strictures

Objective To determine the clinical utility of nuclear morphometry by confocal laser scanmnig microscopy for the diagnosis of malignant biliary strictures. Study Design The study included 51 patients with bile duct strictures who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Based on the initial workup, 6 patients were diagnosed with benign strictures, and 12 patients had malignant strictures, while in the remaining 33 cases the diagnoses were inconsistent, due mainly to inadequate samples. Smears from ERCP brushings were stained for DNA with propidium iodide. Nuclear morphometry was assessed on images acquired by a confocal laser scanning microscope. Three parameters-nuclear volume, nuclear shape and nuclear staining intensity-were calculated. Based on these features, a distinctive nuclear morphometric pattern was attributed to the malignant nuclei, and its predictive value was assessed prospectively in the 33 undiagnosed cases. Results After an overall median follow-up period of 8 months, 19 patients were diagnosed with malignant strictures, and 14 patients were considered to have benign strictures. With respect to the prediction of malignancy, the sensitivity of the described method was 78%, the specificity was 63%, the positive predictive value was 64%, and the negative predictive value was 80%. Conclusion Nuclear morphometry may provide significant information for the diagnosis of malignant bile duct strictures when conventional cytology fails to. © The International Academy of Cytology

Chemical Pesticides and Human Health: The Urgent Need for a New Concept in Agriculture

The industrialization of the agricultural sector has increased the chemical burden on natural ecosystems. Pesticides are agrochemicals used in agricultural lands, public health programs, and urban green areas in order to protect plants and humans from various diseases. However, due to their known ability to cause a large number of negative health and environmental effects, their side effects can be an important environmental health risk factor. The urgent need for a more sustainable and ecological approach has produced many innovative ideas, among them agriculture reforms and food production implementing sustainable practice evolving to food sovereignty. It is more obvious than ever that the society needs the implementation of a new agricultural concept regarding food production, which is safer for man and the environment, and to this end, steps such as the declaration of Nyéléni have been taken. © Copyright © 2016 Nicolopoulou-Stamati, Maipas, Kotampasi, Stamatis and Hens

Subsite-specific differences of estrogen receptor beta expression in the normal colonic epithelium: Implications for carcinogenesis and colorectal cancer epidemiology

Objective: This study aimed at investigating whether a differential estrogen receptor beta (ER-β) expression between the colonic subsites could correspond to a modification in proliferation, apoptosis, and adhesion of the normal colonocytes. Methods: ER-β, Ki-67, Bcl-2, and E-cadherin expressions were investigated immunohistochemically, in normal epithelium biopsies from the ascending and the descending colon of 53 individuals, who underwent colonoscopy for the investigation of anemia and in whom no local pathology was identified. Results: ER-β immunoreactivity has been shown to be stronger at the superficial epithelium than the crypts base, the difference being important only for the ascending colon. In addition, ER-β expression was higher in the superficial epithelium of the ascending colon than that of the descending colon. The variations of ER-β expression did not correspond to the alterations in Ki-67, Bcl-2, and E-cadherin expression. Conclusion: A subsite-specific variation of ER-β expression has been shown in the normal colonic epithelium. This modulation of ER-β might account for some well established specificities of colorectal cancer epidemiology like the right-sided predominance of the neoplasm in women and its gradual shift to more proximal sites over time. © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins