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This ESPR Special Issue includes 24 scientific articles focusing on effective waste management and circular economy. Business-as-usual C&D waste management practice in China produces higher carbon emissions than open-ended 3R strategy, but the difference is not significant in the whole life cycle of the building refurbishment project, whereas carbon emissions for circular economy C&D waste management strategy are significantly reduced. Moreover, electrochemical oxidation of trivalent chromium from leather tanning mud waste leachates to its hexavalent form was carried out within the 17th paper of the special issue by Banti et al. using a PbO SB x sb /Pb anode electrode in a prototype small cylindrical batch electrochemical reactor. This paper (10th paper of the special issue by Ma et al.) evaluates carbon emissions of C&D waste generated by building refurbishment projects using a life cycle assessment approach through a case study in China. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the importance of sustainable waste management and the circular economy, particularly in Europe. It highlights the efforts of waste experts in improving waste management practices to enhance quality of life and protect the environment. The article also mentions the 9th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management, which focused on recent developments and advancements in waste management and circular economy. The conference resulted in the publication of 21 scientific articles in this special issue of Environmental Science & Pollution Research. The article concludes by mentioning future conferences and the increasing interest in this field. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: Despite the increasing incidence of currently incurable brain cancer, limited resources are placed in patients' support systems, with reactive utilisation late in the disease course, when physical and psychological symptoms have peaked. Based on patient-derived data and emphasis on service improvement, this review investigated the structure and efficacy of the support methods of newly diagnosed brain cancer patients in healthcare systems. Methods: This systematic review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols. Articles from PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL databases were screened with six pre-established eligibility criteria, including assessment within 6 months from diagnosis of a primary malignant brain tumour. Risk of bias was evaluated using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale and Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) Qualitative Studies Checklist. Results: Of 5057 original articles, 14 were eligible for qualitative synthesis. Four studies were cross-sectional and ten were descriptive. Information given to patients was evaluated in seven studies, communication with patients in nine, and patient participation in treatment decisions in eight. Risk of bias was low in ten studies, moderate in two, and high in two. Conclusions: Techniques promoting individualised care increased perceived support, despite poor patient-physician communication and complexity of the healthcare system. Extracted data across 14 included studies informed a set of guidelines and a four-step framework. These can help evaluate and reform healthcare services to better accommodate the supportive needs of this patient group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lynch syndrome (LS), the most common inherited form of colorectal cancer (CRC), is responsible for 3% of all cases of CRC. LS is caused by a mismatch repair gene defect and is characterized by a high risk for CRC, endometrial cancer and several other cancers. Identification of LS is of utmost importance because colonoscopic surveillance substantially improves a patient's prognosis. Recently, a network of physicians in Middle Eastern and North African (ME/NA) countries was established to improve the identification and management of LS families. The aim of the present survey was to evaluate current healthcare for families with LS in this region. Methods: A questionnaire was developed that addressed the following issues: availability of clinical management guidelines for LS; attention paid to family history of cancer; availability of genetic services for identification and diagnosis of LS; and assessment of knowledge of LS surveillance. Members of the network and authors of recent papers on LS from ME/NA and neighbouring countries were invited to participate in the survey and complete the online questionnaire. Results: A total of 55 individuals were invited and 19 respondents from twelve countries including Algeria, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Turkey completed the questionnaire. The results showed that family history of CRC is considered in less than half of the surveyed countries. Guidelines for the management of LS are available in three out of twelve countries. The identification and selection of families for genetic testing were based on clinical criteria (Amsterdam criteria II or Revised Bethesda criteria) in most countries, and only one country performed universal screening. In most of the surveyed countries genetic services were available in few hospitals or only in a research setting. However, surveillance of LS families was offered in the majority of countries and most frequently consisted of regular colonoscopy. Conclusion: The identification and management of LS in ME/NA countries are suboptimal and as a result most LS families in the region remain undetected. Future efforts should focus on increasing awareness of LS amongst both the general population and doctors, and on the improvement of the infrastructure in these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignocellulosic biomass is considered as a recalcitrant substrate for anaerobic digestion due to its complex nature that limits its biological degradation. Therefore, suitable preprocessing for the improvement of the performance of conventional anaerobic digestion remains a challenge in the development of anaerobic digestion technology. The physical and chemical characteristics of wheat straw (WS), as a representative lignocellulosic biomass, have a significant impact on the anaerobic digestion process in terms of quantity and quality of the produced biogas. This study aimed at investigating the enzymatic saccharification and detoxification of straw prior to anaerobic digestion with the final objective of enhancing the performance of conventional anaerobic systems of recalcitrant fractions of agricultural waste. The experimental activity was performed in lab and pilot scale treating WS. Alkaline delignification of straw using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was studied prior to enzymatic hydrolysis for the production of easily biodegradable sugars. After defining the optimum conditions for the pretreatment scheme, the anaerobic digestability of the effluents produced was measured. Finally, the final liquid effluents were fed to a pilot scale anaerobic digester of 0.5 m3 volume, applying an increasing organic loading rate (OLR) regime (in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 0.2 to 15 kg COD/m3/day). The optimum conditions for the delignification and enzymatic hydrolysis of WS were defined as 0.5 M NaOH at 50 °C for 3–5 h and 15 μL Cellic CTec2/g pretreated straw at 50 °C. It was proven that the resulting liquid effluents could be fed to an anaerobic digester in the ratio that they are produced with satisfactory COD removal efficiencies (over 70%) for OLRs up to 10 kg COD/m3/day. This value is correspondent to a hydraulic retention time of around 7.5 days, much lower than the respective one for untreated straw (over 12 days). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food waste could be acknowledged as an auspicious feedstock for bioethanol production, given its high organic and polysaccharides' content. In an effort to render enzymatic hydrolysis of food waste more efficient and maximize sugar release, six different thermal, sono-electrochemical, and chemical pretreatment methods were examined. In all cases, starch was solubilized from 26.8 to 42.8% releasing from 1.38 to 2.14 g glucose per 100 g food waste. After 6 h of enzymatic saccharification, the glucose yield was higher than the respective value of the control trial (no pretreatment) for all the experiments, apart from the hydrolysates from thermal autoclaving, implying the presence of possible inhibitory compounds. Saccharification yields ranging 16.43–17.31 g glucose per 100 g raw material after sono-electrochemical pretreatments were not significantly improved and thus if other techno-economic factors are also taken into account, their application may not stand as a viable option. The highest glucose concentrations were observed in food waste hydrolysates that had been subjected to oil extraction with hexane, with 21.66 g glucose per 100 g raw material and 90.30% and 53.75% starch and cellulose degradations, respectively. Thus, oil extraction was qualified as an appropriate pretreatment for food waste, as high glucose yield and starch and cellulose degradations were obtained after enzymatic hydrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the challenge to turn restaurant food waste from environmental issue to energy asset. The transformation of the dehydrated restaurant food waste to used oil, ethanol and methane was investigated. Each process unit was studied and optimised. Thermal dehydration was adopted producing a dried feedstock suitable for the downstream processes as well as a condensate rich in volatile fatty acids with a biomethane potential yield of 1.24 L CH4/L. In the oil extraction process, the application of hexane, 20 Soxhlet cycles and solvent to feedstock ratio equal to 2 provided 81.76% oil yield with quality suitable for transesterification. Different loadings of non-commercial amylolytic enzyme were examined so as to enhance the starch bioconversion efficiency. Five microlitres of enzyme per gramme of starch and 90 min of saccharification time were selected as the optimum operating conditions for producing a hydrolysate that could be efficiently fermented to ethanol. The anaerobic biodegradability of the resulting stillage (415 L CH4/kg VS) could further promote the viability of the whole treatment train. The experimental results were integrated in a material flow diagram in order to enlighten the assessment of the biorefinery scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desalination is considered one of the most viable and technically feasible strategies for the production of freshwater from saline solutions (brackish water, seawater and brine). Thousands of membrane and thermal desalination plants operate daily in many countries around the world, with thermal desalination plants being more advantageous especially in areas with cheap energy. Stainless steel is a reliable material choice for thermal desalination plants due to excellent properties such as stability and minimum maintenance requirements. However, corrosion can cause catastrophic failures in stainless steel due to high temperatures and corrosive environments. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of stainless steel grades (austenitic, super austenitic, duplex, super duplex and hyper duplex) that have been and can be used in thermal desalination and brine treatment applications and discuss their opportunities and challenges. In terms of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, the grades of stainless steel are compared. Thus, for each grade, an application area is suggested to minimize the possibility of material failure. Furthermore, this review discusses recent trends in stainless steel corrosion control and anti-corrosion materials and methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The energy crisis is an eminent problem that needs to be dealt with urgently. Thus, alternative routes for the production of biofuels are sought. This paper investigated experimentally the possibility of biodiesel and bioethanol production from spent coffee grounds (SCG), aiming at the same time to manage an emerging waste stream. Methods: SCG have oil and cellulose contents of 12.89% and 9.87%, respectively that may be valorized accordingly. Having chosen the Soxhlet method as an extraction method for oils and fats and by examining two different solvents: methanol as a polar compound and hexane as a nonpolar, the effect of the Soxhlet extraction cycles (time of experiment) and the ratio of solvent to raw material was studied. Furthermore, enzymatic saccharification and alcoholic fermentation were chosen as the means to valorise cellulose. Results: It was proved that hexane is a more efficient solvent with oil extraction yields ranging from 73.15 to 97.21%. The highest yield was obtained for 20 extraction cycles and solvent to raw material ratio equal to 20. As far as enzymatic hydrolysis is concerned, the maximum saccharification yield for SCG was 44.20% which was achieved under the following conditions: NaOH 0.3 M and CellicCTec2 75 µL/g cellulose. Conclusion: It is thus technically feasible to recover and extract the oil content from spent coffee grounds as well as to achieve moderate saccharification yields and to this direction an integrated biorefinery was proposed. Estimating the potential of SCG as feedstock for biodiesel and bioethanol production at global level, it was evident that SCG can contribute to the energy strategy through biofuels promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignocellulosic materials are mainly consisted of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. Lignin is recognized as the main obstacle for the enzymatic saccharification of cellulose towards the fermentable sugars' production. Hence, the removal of lignin from the lignocellulosic feedstock is beneficial for reducing the recalcitrance of lignocellulose for enzymatic attack. For this purpose, various different alkaline pretreatments were examined in order to study their effect on the enzymatic saccharification of wheat straw, as a typical lignocellulosic material. Results revealed that the alkaline pretreatments promoted delignification reactions. Regarding the removal of lignin, the most efficient pretreatments were alkaline treatment with hydrogen peroxide 10% and NaOH 2% autoclave with delignification efficiencies of 89.60% and 84.86% respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis was performed to enlighten the structural changes of raw and pretreated materials. The higher the delignification of the raw material, the higher the conversion of cellulose during enzymatic saccharification. In all cases after enzymatic saccharification, the cellulosic conversion was much higher (32–77%) than the untreated wheat straw (8.6%). After undergoing alkaline peroxide 10% pretreatment and cellulase treatment, 99% of the initial raw straw was eventually solubilized. Thus, wheat straw could be considered as an ideal material for the production of glucose with proper pretreatments and effective enzymatic hydrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without doubt, significant research is developed at world level in the area of waste management technologies and the current waste management status can improve substantially so as to contribute towards better life quality standards nowadays, especially in developing countries. Emphasis was given to plastics, food waste, biomass and bio-based products, construction and demolition waste and other waste streams, and in general circular economy, including all key action areas and symbiosis networks. The high quantities of waste generated by the marble industry, together with incorrect waste management, can cause environmental problems. Ultrasound treatment of 10 min provided productivity of 1.02 g/Lh and lactic acid yield of 0.69 g/g. Benchmarked against closed lactic acid fermentation 20% better revalorization of stillage by plasma treatment and open lactic acid fermentation was achieved. [Extracted from the article]

Spent coffee grounds are the moist solid residues of coffee brewing and in most cases, the disposal is done without any intermediate valorization actions for materials and energy recovery. State-of-the-art applications include extraction of the liquids and application of high-temperature pyrolysis. Both strategies have significant potential but have also some disadvantages (extensive pre-treatment, high costs) when applied on a large scale. This study highlights the lack of mild pyrolysis valorization strategies and presents the idea of the "COFFEE BIN." Separated spent coffee grounds are collected, dried, and thermally treated. The optimal pyrolysis conditions were identified and product characteristics and the mass balances were assessed. Elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, physisorption analysis and higher heating value (HHV) determination was performed for the characterization of the carbonaceous products. The torrefied coffee grounds returned solid yields from 78 to 83%, which are significantly higher than in other cases of conventional biomass and heating values of 24–25 MJ/kg. Higher temperature pyrolysis did not sustain the advantage of increased returned mass yields and the adsorbance potential of all the carbonaceous products was lower than 25 cm3/g. The study highlighted that spent coffee grounds—due to the nature of their production process via roasting—can be suitable for torrefaction because of the high recovered solid yield and the high energy density. The results will be used for the development of a collection scheme for spent coffee grounds in a big municipality of Athens (Greece). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sugars production from secondary resources has been recognised as a strategic process unit within the valorisation routes of waste. In this context, food waste (FW) as an abundant waste stream with elevated concentrations of glucose and carbohydrates (cellulose, starch) could stand as a suitable feedstock for saccharification. To evaluate this new potential application of FW, FW enzymatic hydrolysis was investigated via non-commercial enzymes. Methods: FW was subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis by an amylolytic and a cellulolytic formulation under different enzyme loadings. At the optimum conditions, the time course of glucose production during enzymatic hydrolysis was also studied. In order to enlighten the viability of bioethanol production process from FW, the experimental results were evaluated in terms of cost of enzymes per liter of bioethanol produced. Results: 81% starch hydrolysis was achieved after 1 h of hydrolysis by 45 μL amylolytic enzyme NS22109/g starch at 65 °C. With regard to the effect of cellulase loading, 175 μL NS22177/g cellulose achieved 50% saccharification yield. Further increase of enzyme dosage just slightly increased the yield. More specifically, by increasing the enzyme loading 540%, the resulting saccharification efficiency increased by just 16%. Last, the enzyme cost per ethanol yield was almost 3.5 times lower when just amylolytic enzymes were used for similar ethanol yields. Conclusion: Enzymatic hydrolysis of starch and cellulose present in FW proved to be technically efficient providing high yields. Nevertheless, the difference in the economic weight of the use of amylolytic and/or cellulolytic enzymes strongly influences the viability of FW valorization via bioethanol production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the pilot experience of an integrated biowaste management system developed in Tinos island, Greece, which promoted source separation and decentralized composting in a prototype unit. This system was introduced as a new-to-the-area of implementation and innovation, since landfilling of mixed municipal solid waste has been the common practice in Tinos island, as in many other areas of insular and mainland Greece. The biowaste management system was implemented through a bring scheme that aimed at motivating the public to separate at source the organic fraction of MSW. The system was monitored on an input-output basis of critical parameters used to assess the purity of separately collected biowaste, the treatment efficiency of the prototype unit, the quality characteristics of compost produced, and public's awareness and participation. Results showed that biowaste source separation was practiced effectively by citizens, giving high-purity feed (> 98%). Compost samples were examined in comparison with the proposed EU End-of-Waste (EoW) quality criteria and fulfilled the requirements set. More specifically, the average values of compost samples regarding heavy metal content were 72% lower than the EoW limit value for Cd, 43% lower for Ni, 38% lower for Pd, 24% lower for Cu, and 36% lower for Zn. Examined composts also met the EoW criteria for phytotoxicity and pathogenic or parasitic microorganisms, while they showed an approx. 15% decrease in initial organic matter content. Moreover, this study analyzed the carbon balances and the degree that composting can sequestrate carbon. Overall, this study demonstrated that the development and operation of on-island, decentralized composting, when properly practiced, is a sustainable option in order for islands and remote areas to adopt a closed loop approach to the biowaste management problem, in line with the circular economy principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within a seaport terminal, the main sources of emissions include (1) building use and maintenance, (2) ocean-going vessels and harbour crafts, (3) cargo handling equipment and (4) heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) used for the transportation of the containers (which considered to be one of the most polluting elements of port operations). The main objective of this work was the development of a mathematical model for the quantification of Greenhouse Gas emissions produced by HDV during container transport in ports. Several models and tools have been developed for this purpose; however most of them utilize an over-simplified fuel and energy consumption-based approach. Firstly, a critical review of emissions calculations models was performed, and following the results of this analysis COPERT was chosen to be used as a basis for modeling the fleet in port operation. The next step was to analyse in depth COPERT's methodology and equations in order to identify potential limitations. The following step was to evaluate and address those limitations by introducing new elements and factors (e.g. emissions from stop-and-go traffic, idling, emissions increase due to air conditioning operation etc.). The final step was the modification of COPERT's equation and the development of the improved model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household food wastes (HFW) a complex biomass containing soluble sugars, lipids, proteins, cellulose, starch was used for bioethanol production in a newly designed pilot scale system consisting of two horizontal rotating bioreactors (HRRs) operating at high solids content under non-isothermal simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (NSSF) in fed-batch mode. Operational conditions were determined in lab-scale experiments. More specifically, enzymes including cellulases, α-amylase and glucoamylase at different loadings were tested one at the time for the pre-hydrolysis and subsequent fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae of the pretreated HFW. The highest ethanol production (42.74 g/L, corresponding to 72.33% of the maximum theoretical) was obtained when cellulases (at 60 FPU/g cellulose) and glucoamylase (60 FPU/g starch) were used. Fed-batch experiments were conducted in a 20 L bioreactor. Increasing batch additions resulted in a higher ethanol titer. Ethanol production of 60.69 g/L (corresponding to 69.77% of the maximum theoretical) was achieved when three additions were made. Implementation of the NSSF process operating in fed-batch mode in the pilot scale facility resulted in ethanol production of 53.90 g/L (corresponding to 73.26% of maximum theoretical yield). The pilot scale facility of the present study can produce 188 L of ethanol from one ton of dry HFW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Xenobiotic metabolism is related to the interplay between diet and breast cancer (BC) risk. This involves detoxification enzymes, which are polymorphic and metabolise various dietary metabolites. An important characteristic of this pathway is that chemoprotective micronutrients can act not only as substrates but also as inducers for these enzymes. We investigated whether functional GSTP1 (p.Ile105Val-rs1695), NAT2 (590G>A-rs1799930) SNPs and GSTM1 and GSTT1 deletion polymorphisms could modulate the effect of the Mediterranean diet (MD) on BC risk, in Greek-Cypriot women. Methods: Genotyping was performed on women from the MASTOS case-control study of BC in Cyprus. A 32-item food-frequency questionnaire was used to obtain dietary intake information. A dietary pattern, which closely resembles the MD (high loadings of vegetables, fruit, legumes and fish), was previously derived with principal component analysis and was used as our dietary variable. Results: GSTT1 null genotype increased BC risk compared with the homozygous non-null GSTT1 genotype (OR 1.21, 95 % CI 1.01-1.45). Increasing adherence to the MD reduced BC risk in women with at least one GSTP1 Ile allele (OR for Ile/Ile = 0.84, 95 % CI 0.74-0.95, for Ile/Val = 0.73, 95 % CI 0.62-0.85) or one NAT2 590G allele (OR for 590 GG = 0.73, 95 % CI 0.63-0.83, for 590 GA = 0.81, 95 % CI 0.70-0.94). p interaction values were not, however, statistically significant. Conclusion: The homozygous null GSTT1 genotype could be a risk allele for BC among Greek-Cypriot women. The anticarcinogenic effects of the high adherence to MD against BC risk could also be further enhanced when combined with the wild-type alleles of the detoxification GSTP1 or NAT2 SNPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented to a special issue on solid waste management, noting that issue articles began as papers presented at the June 21-24, 2017 5th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Athens, Greece.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptive capacity of the electrical energy sector in Cyprus. Spatial vulnerability of the island was assessed using the degree-day indicator to investigate heating and cooling demands in the near future using daily temperature projections from regional climate models (RCMs). Using daily electrical energy consumption data for the present climate, an impact model linking consumption and temperature was constructed and this relationship was projected to the future climate using the data from the RCMs and assuming the same technology use. Our impact model results showed that for the period between November and April ('cold period'), a decreasing trend in electrical energy consumption is evident due to warmer conditions in the near future, while for the period between May and October ('warm period'), an increasing trend in electricity consumption is evident as warmer conditions dominate by 2050. Regarding the spatial vulnerability assessment, the cooling degree-day indicator testified that major increases in cooling demand, between 100 and 200 degree-days, are expected in inland and southern regions during the summer in the near future. In addition, increases of about 20-50 degree-days are anticipated during autumn. Conversely, energy demand for heating is projected to decrease during spring and winter, especially in the higher elevation parts of the island. More precisely, reductions of about 30-75 degree-days are projected during spring, while greater reductions of about 60-90 degree-days are expected during winter in heating demand, especially for in the near future. The ability of the energy sector to adapt and follow these changes was deemed to be satisfactory reducing the overall vulnerability of the sector to future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism is a vital sector of Cyprus economy, attracting millions of tourists every year and providing economic growth and employment for the country. The aim of this study was to investigate the impacts of projected climate change in the tourism industry in Cyprus (Republic of Cyprus) using both 'Tourism Climate Index' (TCI) and 'Beach Climate Index' (BCI). TCI refers to tourism activities mainly related to sightseeing, nature-based tourism, and religious tourism etc., while BCI represents beach tourism that constitutes 85 % of tourism activities in Cyprus. The projections of climate change impacts in tourism are performed for 2071-2100 period, using regional climate model output employing the A1B greenhouse gas emissions scenario. The 1961-1990 period is used as the control run to compare the respective results of the future projections. The significant warming anticipated in the distant future (increases in annual and summer temperatures close to 4 °C) will have adverse impacts on Cyprus tourism industry regarding sightseeing tourism. TCI results for the distant future period show only acceptable conditions for general tourism activities during summer in contrast with the good/very good conditions in the present climate. Conversely, this type of tourism seems to be benefited in shoulder seasons, i.e., during spring and autumn; TCI and hence tourist activities improve in the distant future in relation to the present climate. On the other hand, concerning beach tourism, future projections indicate that it will not be negatively affected by future climate change and any changes will be positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Oxidative stress arises due to a cellular imbalance in oxidants and antioxidants and/or due to an altered activity of antioxidant enzymes, caused by SNPs. Oxidative stress increases susceptibility to breast cancer (BC) risk, and we previously showed that the Mediterranean diet (MD), which is rich in antioxidants, reduces BC risk in Greek-Cypriot women. Here, we investigated the effect of MnSOD (p.Val16Ala, rs4880) and CAT (-262C>T, rs1001179) SNPs on the association between the MD and BC risk in the case-control study of BC MASTOS in Cyprus. Methods: Dietary intake data were obtained using a 32-item food frequency questionnaire, from which a dietary pattern was previously derived, using principal component analysis. This pattern included high loadings of vegetables, fruit, legumes and fish, a combination that closely resembles the MD and was used as our dietary variable. Results: High vegetable intake lowered BC risk in women with at least one MnSOD Val allele (OR for Val/Val = 0.56, 95 % CI 0.35-0.88, for Val/Ala = 0.57, 95 % CI 0.39-0.82), or one CAT -262C allele (OR for -262CC = 0.66, 95 % CI 0.47-0.92, for -262CT = 0.53, 95 % CI 0.35-0.81). High fish intake conferred a decreased BC risk of CAT -262CC women (OR 0.66, 95 % CI 0.47-0.92) compared with the CAT -262TT women and low fish intake (OR 2.79, 95 % CI 1.08-7.17). Additionally, high fish intake reduced BC risk in MnSOD Val/Val women (OR 0.63, 95 % CI 0.40-0.98). p interaction values were, however, not statistically significant. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that the antioxidative effects of the MD against BC risk may be enhanced by the wild-type alleles of the MnSOD or CAT SNPs among Greek-Cypriot women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study related to genetic screening of the exostosin 1 (EXT1) and exostosin 2 (EXT2) genes in Cypriot patients with a clinical diagnosis of hereditary multiple osteochondromas (HMO). Topics include extraction of genomic DNA from peripheral blood using the QiagenQIAmp DNA Blood Midi Kit, direct sequencing of the EXT genes, and to assess for copy number changes array-comparative genomic hybridization CGH analysis was also performed.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified associations with robust statistical support for influencing breast cancer susceptibility. Most GWAS and replications have been conducted in Northern European populations and to a lesser extent in Asians, and Ashkenazi Jews. It is important to evaluate whether these variants confer risk across different populations and also to assess the magnitude of risk conferred. The aim of this study was to evaluate previously GWAS-identified breast cancer risk variants in the Cypriot population. Eleven GWAS-discovered single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were analyzed for association with breast cancer in 1,109 Cypriot female breast cancer patients and 1,177 healthy female controls. Four of the 11 SNPs evaluated were found to be nominally significantly associated ( P < 0.05) with breast cancer risk in the Cypriot population. Based on estimated power, five associations would be expected to be nominally significant. The correlation coefficient of effect sizes (per-allele odds ratio) between the Cypriot population and the original GWAS populations where these SNPs had been discovered was 0.58 ( P = 0.064), while allele frequencies were very similar ( r = 0.88, P < 0.001). Overall, we show modest concordance for breast cancer GWAS-discovered alleles and their effect sizes in the Cypriot population. The effects sizes of GWAS-discovered SNPs need to be verified separately in different populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inability to correctly repair DNA damage is known to play a role in the development of breast cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of DNA repair genes have been identified, which modify the DNA repair capacity, which in turn may affect the risk of developing breast cancer. To assess whether alterations in DNA repair genes contribute to breast cancer, we genotyped 62 SNPs in 29 genes in 1,109 Cypriot women with breast cancer and 1,177 age-matched healthy controls. Five SNPs were associated with breast cancer. SNPs rs13312840 and rs769416 in the NBS1 gene were associated with a decrease in breast cancer risk (OR TT vs. TC/CC = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37–0.92; P = 0.019 and OR GG vs. GT/TT = 0.23, 95% CI 0.06–0.85, P = 0.017, respectively). The variant allele of MRE11A rs556477 was also associated with a reduced risk of developing the disease (OR AA vs. AG/GG = 0.76; 95% CI, 0.64–0.91; P = 0.0022). MUS81 rs545500 and PBOV1 rs6927706 SNPs were associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer (OR GG vs. GC/CC = 1.21, 95% CI, 1.02–1.45; P = 0.031; OR AA vs. AG/GG = 1.53, 95% CI, 1.07–2.18; P = 0.019, respectively). Finally, haplotype-based tests identified significant associations between specific haplotypes in MRE11A and NBS1 genes and breast cancer risk. Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss various reports within the issue on topics including the future climate change in the Mediterranean region and its impacts on agriculture, tourism and forest fires.

The DNA repair pathway is known to play a role in the etiology of breast cancer. A number of studies have demonstrated that common germline variants in genes involved in the DNA repair pathway influence breast cancer risk. To assess whether alterations in DNA repair genes contribute to breast cancer, we genotyped 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 1,109 Cypriot women with breast cancer and 1,177 age-matched healthy controls. We found significant associations with breast cancer for SNPs in the BRCA2 and MRE11A genes. Carriers of the BRCA2 rs1799944 variant (991 Asp) were found to have an increased risk of breast cancer (OR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.08–1.83, P = 0.01) with Ptrend = 0.0076. Homozygous carriers of the MRE11A rs601341 A allele had an increased risk of breast cancer (OR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.08–1.71, P = 0.009) with Ptrend = 0.0087. This study suggests that genetic variants in BRCA2 and MRE11A are associated with breast cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population-based studies have reported significant associations between specific genetic polymorphisms and breast cancer susceptibility. A number of studies have demonstrated that common variants of genes involved in the DNA repair pathway act as low penetrance breast cancer susceptibility alleles. We aimed to investigate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the DNA repair genes XRCC1, XRCC2 and XRCC3 and breast cancer in MASTOS, a population-based case–control study of 1,109 Cypriot women with breast cancer diagnosed between 40 and 70 years and 1,177 age-matched healthy controls. Five coding SNPs were genotyped including rs1799782, rs25489 and rs25487 in XRCC1, rs3218536 in XRCC2 and rs861539 in XRCC3. Homozygous XRCC1 280His carriers had an increased risk of breast cancer (odds ratio 4.68; 95% CI 1.01–21.7; P = 0.03). The XRCC2 188His allele was associated with a marginal protective effect for breast cancer (odds ratio 0.79; 95% CI 0.62–1.00; P = 0.05). No significant associations were observed between the other three SNPs and breast cancer. This study suggests that genetic variation in SNPs in XRCC1 and XRCC2 genes may influence breast cancer susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on the development and application of appropriate software tools for recording, assessing and reporting data related to the operation of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants (UWTPs) in Cyprus. An appropriate Internet-Based Management System was designed, developed and installed at the premises of the UWTPs and of the Cypriot Competent Authority (Water Development Department — WDD) in order to coordinate and disseminate tasks and related information for monitoring the operation of UWTPs. In addition, a client Geographical Information System database was compiled to be used for obtaining and analyzing spatial information. The software tools are based on common procedures and state-of-the-art technology for the recording and transmission of data and information and they provide an integrated view related to the operation and the efficiency of wastewater treatment systems. Moreover, continuous control and systematic monitoring of the UWTPs by the operators as well as continuous and direct supervision of the UWTPs environmental performance is achieved by the personnel of the Competent Authority. Furthermore, direct and unobstructed provision of data to the Competent Authority of Cyprus is accomplished by the operators of the UWTPs, while the Competent Authority is supported to compose full and representative reports to the European Commission and other International Organizations. The developed tools enable the direct recording of data obtained through measurements and analyses, permit the comparison of data with existing legislation and provide an integrated picture of the operation of the wastewater treatment plants as well as the option to focus and assess each individual treatment stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]