Publications

Aerobic exercise training improves insulin sensitivity without changes in body weight, body fat, adiponectin, and inflammatory markers in overweight and obese girls

Decreased Delta-Sleep and Plasma Delta-Sleep-Inducing Peptide in Patients with Cushing Syndrome

To evaluate the sleep disturbances of patients with Cushing syndrome and to examine the relationship between the sleep disturbances and plasma levels of delta-sleep-inducing peptide-like immunoreactivity (DSIP-LI), we performed three polysomnographic/endocrinological studies in patients with Cushing syndrome. In study 1, polysomnography was studied in 12 patients and 12 matched normal volunteers. In addition, DSIP-LI was measured every 30 min for 24 h in 9 patients with Cushing syndrome and 12 normal volunteers. The percentage of time spent in delta sleep (stages 3 and 4) was significantly reduced in patients with Cushing syndrome (5.8 +/- 1.4%; mean +/- SEM) compared to normal volunteers (14.0 +/- 2.5%) (p < 0.01). REM sleep indices, however, were not significantly different between the two groups. There was a significant negative correlation between amount of delta sleep and 08.00 h DSIP-LI (r = -0.43, p < 0.05), which is against the notion of a causal relationship between DSIP-LI and delta sleep. The circadian rhythm of plasma DSIP-LI was found to be similar in Cushing patients and normal volunteers. In study 2, we measured plasma levels of delta-sleep-inducing peptide-like immunoreactivity (DSIP-LI) at 08.00 h in 65 patients with Cushing syndrome and 49 normal volunteers. The 08.00 h DSIP-LI concentrations of 797 +/- 57 pmol/l (mean +/- SEM) in the patients with Cushing syndrome were significantly reduced compared to the level of 1,062 +/- 99 pmol/l found in the normal volunteers (p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Influence of Different Waste Materials on Resistance of Cement Mortars against Carbonation and Chloride Ingress

This work is an extensive experimental study on the corrosion behavior of reinforced cementitious mortars containing industrial byproducts and waste materials. In particular, calcareous (C-class) fly ashes, iron mill scale and Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide (E.M.D.) waste were used as additives in mortars production. The abovementioned materials were used without any prior treatment or management and replaced the cement in concrete mixing by 10% wt. of cement weight. For the experimental set-up, reinforced mortars were prepared and exposed to coastal area for 12 months, while some of them were remained in a salt spray cabin for 60 days. The corrosion monitoring was performed by electrochemical and mass loss measurements, while chloride content, porosity, carbonation and mineralogy of mortars were also estimated. The results indicate, that there is a development in durability and chloride penetration resistance of composites comparing with the conventional mortars at late ages. At the same time, it was also observed that their chemical composition and fineness, control the diffusion of CO2 into the pore system and lead to increased carbonation of composite mortars. The challenge of this work is the production of eco-friendly composites with high chloride and carbon dioxide penetration resistance.

Effect of Antalarmin, a Novel Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Antagonist, on the Dynamic Function of the Preterm Ovine Fetal Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

This study describes the effect of antalarmin on basal and stimulated activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function in the late gestation ovine fetus. Fetuses received antalarmin (15 mg/h i.v.) or vehicle (cremophor El 50% in ethanol) from day 130 gestational age. Antalarmin infusion did not significantly affect immunoreactive corticotropin (ir-ACTH) concentrations, although there was a tendency for ir-ACTH to be lower and cortisol concentrations were lower in the antalarmin-treated fetuses (p &lt; 0.01). The ir-ACTH response to corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) challenge was attenuated (p &lt; 0.05) in the antalarmin-treated fetuses, but neither antalarmin- nor vehicle-treated fetuses had significant cortisol responses to CRH. The ir-ACTH response to hypoxia was diminished (p &lt; 0.05) in the antalarmin-treated fetuses while the cortisol responses of antalarmin- and vehicle-treated fetuses were indistinguishable. Deconvolution analysis revealed no effect of antalarmin treatment on ir-ACTH secretory dynamics. In contrast, antalarmin decreased (p &lt; 0.05) basal, mean and integrated cortisol. The plasma cortisol responses of antalarmin- and vehicle-treated fetuses to exogenous ACTH&lt;sub&gt;1–24&lt;/sub&gt; were indistinguishable. These data indicate that, while antalarmin inhibits CRH- and stress-induced ir-ACTH secretion, basal ir-ACTH secretion may be less affected by antalarmin treatment. Paradoxically, cortisol secretion is impaired by antalarmin infusion, although adrenal responsiveness to ACTH is not impaired. These results confirm a role for CRH in stress-induced ACTH secretion in the ovine fetus, though its role in the regulation of basal ACTH and cortisol secretion is unclear.

Regression analysis in patients with thallasemia induced osteoporosis

Introduction: Thalassemia Major (TM) is a hereditary disease caused by defective globin synthesis. Although, it is considered a disease which is well understood both from the clinical as well as the biological aspect, it is a complex phenomenon and still remains under thorough investigation. One of the recent findings, include the fact the due to the significant increase in life expectancy, TM patients suffer from various secondary health conditions, including endocrinopathies and low bone mineral density. Aim: The aim of the present study was to analyze biochemical factors, collected from TM patients, with the application of regression analysis in order to find probable causative relations for TM-induced osteoporosis. Methods: Sixty-four patients with TM (32 men and 32 women) participated in a cross-sectional study design. The patients were recruited from “Aghia Sofia” Children’s Hospital and evaluated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the lumbar spine and femoral neck and with markers of bone remodeling including receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), C-terminal telopeptide (CTX), and sclerostin. Results: Regression analysis, manifested significant relations in TM patients with respect to calcium, phosphorus, testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone and DXA. Conclusions: In TM patients, several factors appeared to be linearly correlated, which indicates that these factors play an important role in TM-induced osteoporosis.

Simplified vulnerability assessment of historical city cores - The example of the city of Xanthi

No abstract is provided for this article.

Dynamic analysis of single-degree-of-freedom systems (DYANAS): A graphical user interface for OpenSees

Non-linear dynamic response of SDOF systems enjoys widespread application in earthquake engineering, sometimes as a testing ground for cumbersome analytical procedures, but often as a direct proxy of first-mode-dominated structures, within the family of simplified, pushover-based methods for seismic structural assessment and/or design. This article presents DYANAS, a MATHWORKS-MATLAB®-based graphical user interface that uses the OpenSees finite element platform to perform nonlinear dynamic analysis of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) oscillators. The scope of this open-source, freely distributed software is to serve as a tool for earthquake engineering research. The main advantages offered by the DYANAS interface are ease in the definition of the required analysis parameters and corresponding seismic input, efficient execution of the analyses themselves and availability of a suite of convenient, in-built post-processing tools for the management and organization of the structural responses. The types of dynamic analysis frameworks supported are incremental, multiple-stripe and cloud. Simultaneous consideration of pairs of uncoupled dynamic systems gives the possibility for intensity measures to refer to bidirectional ground motion. In the paper, an outline of the types of dynamic analysis frameworks typically used in performance-based earthquake engineering is provided, followed by a detailed description of the software and its capabilities, that include an array of post-processing tools. In order to properly place this software tool within its natural performance-based earthquake engineering habitat, some example applications are provided at the end of the paper.

Chios Mastic Gum Extract and Isolated Phytosterol Tirucallol Exhibit Anti-Inflammatory Activity in Human Aortic Endothelial Cells

Chios mastic gum (CMG) is a white, semitransparent, natural resin that is obtained as a trunk exudate from mastic trees. Triterpenic compounds and phytosterols like tirucallol are among its major components. CMG has been associated with cardiovascular protection, exerting its effect mainly through increasing the antioxidant defense system, and effectively lowering the levels of serum cholesterol in human subjects. However, data on its anti-inflammatory effect on endothelium are scarce. Attachment of leukocytes to the vascular endothelium and the subsequent migration of cells into the vessel wall are early events in atherogenesis, and this process requires the expression of endothelial adhesion molecules. In this study, we examined the effect of CMG neutral extract (25-200 microg/ml) and tirucallol (0.1-100 microM) on the following: 1) the expression of adhesion molecules (VCAM-1 and ICAM-1) by Cell ELISA and 2) the attachment of monocytes (U937 cells) in TNF-alpha stimulated Human Aortic Endothelial Cells (HAEC) by Adhesion assay. The impact of treatment with CMG neutral extract and tirucallol in NFkB phosphorylation was also examined by a cell-based ELISA kit. Both CMG extract and tirucallol inhibit significantly VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 expression in TNF-alpha-stimulated HAEC. They also inhibit significantly the binding of U937 cells to TNF-alpha-stimulated HAEC and attenuate the phosphorylation of NFkB p65. This study extends existing data regarding the cardioprotective effect of CMG, expands the spectrum of known phytosterols with potent antiatheromatic activity, provides new insight into the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effect of CMG on endothelial function, and may aid in design of new therapy for intervention in atherosclerosis.

Risk assessment of rehabilitation strategies for steel lattice telecommunication towers of Greece under extreme wind hazard

The risk and losses associated with the wind-induced failure of existing steel lattice telecommunication towers are assessed for a number of upgrade/replace/redesign schemes. Specifically, a performance-based wind engineering framework is employed for assessing a typical tower topology used by EU telecommunication network operators over four different cases: a conventional design, its corroded version after 60 years, a strengthened version of the corroded tower by applying fibre-reinforced polymer plates, and a redesign with high-strength steel. Multiple potential sites of installation were considered throughout coastal and mainland Greece, comprising two different groups of design wind speed. Mischaracterization of the site-specific wind distribution is by far the most important risk factor, with corrosion coming right behind. Still, selecting a rehabilitation approach does not depend only on site and tower characteristics, but also on the projected direct and indirect losses. By considering service to different populations, even after 60 years of corrosion, the “Do Nothing” approach may still be competitive when serving few residents and for short projected lifetime, while an upgrade is considered optimal for larger towns, or wherever higher revenue is on the line.

Derivation of new SAC/FEMA performance evaluation solutions with second‐order hazard approximation

SUMMARY A novel set of SAC/FEMA‐style closed‐form expressions is presented to accurately assess structural safety under seismic action. Such solutions allow the practical evaluation of the risk integral convolving seismic hazard and structural response by using a number of idealizations to achieve a simple analytical form. The most heavily criticized approximation of the SAC/FEMA formats is the first‐order power‐law fit of the hazard curve. It results to unacceptable errors whenever the curvature of the hazard function becomes significant. Adopting a second‐order fit, instead, allows capturing the hazard curvature at the cost of necessitating new analytic forms. The new set of equations is a complete replacement of the original, enabling (a) accurate estimation of the mean annual frequency of limit‐state exceedance and (b) safety checking for specified performance objectives in a code‐compatible format. More importantly, the flexibility of higher‐order fitting guarantees a wider‐range validity of the local hazard approximation. Thus, it enables the inversion of the formulas for practically estimating the allowable demand or the required capacity to fulfill any design objective. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Increased hair cortisol and antecedent somatic complaints in children with a first epileptic seizure

Dynamics of linear elastic SDOF oscillators

This chapter addresses the dynamic response of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) oscillators in the linear elastic domain, with emphasis on ground-induced excitation. It develops the equation of motion, discusses solution approaches and presents the representation of response using pseudo-acceleration, velocity, and displacement spectra. The equations governing structural dynamics are easily established based on Newton's first two laws of motion. The momentum of a body is a vector quantity given by the product of mass and velocity. Resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate with large peak amplitude under forced vibration at particular frequencies, known as the system's resonant frequencies. Earthquake ground motion is conveniently defined by acceleration records obtained in three orthogonal directions from a seismograph. The time derivative of the relative displacement time history is the relative velocity time history; its time derivative is the relative acceleration time history.

Familial adrenocorticotropin unresponsiveness associated with alacrima and achalasia: biochemical and molecular studies in two siblings with clinical heterogeneity

The Effects of Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention on Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients: A Non-randomized Controlled Trial

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder that affects a considerable percentage of the global population, mainly middle-aged women. IBS causes a constellation of symptoms with repercussions on patients’ physical, psychological, and social well-being. Stress seems to play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease as well as in its management. This study evaluated the effects of a novel non-pharmacological 8-week stress management intervention, the Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention (PSAI), in patients with IBS. In this non-randomized controlled trial, 60 IBS patients were assigned to an intervention and a control group. Self-reported questionnaires were used for the evaluation of IBS symptoms and a variety of biopsychological characteristics, pre- and post-intervention. All IBS-related symptoms were significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group with 50% of the patients in the intervention group reporting less abdominal pain. The most potent effects of the intervention were observed in anger externalization, anger control, visuospatial memory, information processing speed, verbal memory, sense of coherence, stress, anxiety, and anger internalization. No side effects in the PSAI group were noted. In conclusion, PSAI was beneficial for patients suffering from IBS. Future research should expand and validate the results of this study.

High Intensity Exercise Promotes Escape of Adrenocorticotropin and Cortisol from Suppression by Dexamethasone: Sexually Dimorphic Responses1

Exercise promotes escape of ACTH and cortisol from suppression by dexamethasone (DEX) in some healthy men and women. To determine whether stimulus strength, diurnal rhythmicity, or gender influences neuroendocrine escape during DEX suppression, we studied men (n = 5) and women (n = 5) during high intensity exercise tests after taking 4 mg DEX: two tests (one at 90% and one at 100% of maximal aerobic capacity) were conducted in the morning and two were performed in the afternoon on nonconsecutive days. Plasma ACTH and cortisol showed significantly greater increases with the 100% compared to the 90% intensity exercise (ACTH: 90%, 2 ± 0.4; 100%, 3 ± 0.5 pmol/L; cortisol: 90%, 53 ± 5.3; 100%, 93 ± 23.6 nmol/L). Plasma cortisol responses were significantly higher in women than in men (P < 0.01). Plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) exhibited significant intensity-dependent increases, with higher responses in women than men (P < 0.01). In conclusion, despite high dose glucocorticoid pretreatment, intense exercise can override the glucocorticoid negative feedback of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activation in most normal men and women. This ability to override cortisol negative feedback inhibition may relate to the magnitude of the AVP response, the potency/specificity of the stressor to elicit a CRH/AVP response, and/or the sensitivity of the glucocorticoid negative feedback system at the time of the stress.

Development of a human mitochondria-focused cDNA microarray (hMitChip) and validation in skeletal muscle cells: implications for pharmaco- and mitogenomics

Hypothalamic and suprahypothalamic effects of prolonged treatment with dexamethasone in the rat

Role of lncRNAs related to NRs in the regulation of gene expression

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a key role in regulating gene expression, influencing various cellular pathways by interacting with transcription factors, other RNA molecules like miRNAs, and DNA. In this study, we focused on the role of lncRNAs related to nuclear receptors (NRs), which are a family of transcription factors activated by ligands. NRs are involved in vital biological processes such as metabolism, immune response, reproduction, and development. We discovered six novel sequence motifs within lncRNAs that respond to multiple NRs suggesting they are not specific to a single receptor. One of the motifs, was complementary to miRNA hsa-miR-1908-3p, suggesting that lncRNAs containing this motif may function as miRNA sponges, regulating the expression of about 487 target mRNAs. The motifs were also found in key regulatory regions of the human genome, particularly on chromosome 19, including in Adeno-associated virus integration site 1 (AAVS1), a region with a high regulatory role in gene expression. Additionally, an evolutionary analysis was conducted revealing that these motifs are highly conserved across species, including Mus musculus, Euglena gracilis, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, indicating their ancient origins. Based on these results, we propose that these motifs may represent ancestral binding sites for nuclear receptor precursors, and may act as backup mechanisms in modern organisms, ensuring the functional versatility and evolutionary conservation of NR-mediated gene regulation.