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Genome-wide transcriptome analysis provides systems-level insights into plant biology. Due to the limited depth of quantitative proteomics our understanding of gene-protein-complex stoichiometry is largely unknown in plants. Recently, the complexity of the proteome and its cell-/tissue-specific distribution have boosted the research community to the integration of transcriptomics and proteomics landscapes in a proteogenomic approach. Herein, we generated a quantitative proteome and transcriptome abundance atlas of 15 major sweet cherry (Prunus avium L., cv 'Tragana Edessis') tissues represented by 29 247 genes and 7584 proteins. Additionally, 199 984 alternative splicing events, particularly exon skipping and alternative 3' splicing, were identified in 23 383 transcribed regions of the analyzed tissues. Common signatures as well as differences between mRNA and protein quantities, including genes encoding transcription factors and allergens, within and across the different tissues are reported. Using our integrated dataset, we identified key putative regulators of fruit development, notably genes involved in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins and flavonoids. We also provide proteogenomic-based evidence for the involvement of ethylene signaling and pectin degradation in cherry fruit ripening. Moreover, clusters of genes and proteins with similar and different expression and suppression trends across diverse tissues and developmental stages revealed a relatively low RNA abundance-to-protein correlation. The present proteogenomic analysis allows us to identify 17 novel sweet cherry proteins without prior protein-level annotation evidenced in the currently available databases. To facilitate use by the community, we also developed the Sweet Cherry Atlas Database (https://grcherrydb.com/) for viewing and data mining these resources. This work provides new insights into the proteogenomics workflow in plants and a rich knowledge resource for future investigation of gene and protein functions in Prunus species.

SummaryThe term “terroir” has been widely employed to link differential geographic phenotypes with sensorial signatures of agricultural food products, influenced by agricultural practices, soil type and climate. Nowadays, the Geographical Indications labeling has been developed to safeguard the quality of plant-derived food that is linked to a certain terroir and is generally considered as an indication of superior organoleptic properties and phytochemical profile. As the dynamics of agroecosystems are highly intricate, consisting of tangled networks of interactions between plants, microorganisms, and the surrounding environment, the recognition of the key molecular components of terroir fingerprinting remains a great challenge to protect both the origin and the safety of food commodities. Furthermore, the contribution of microbiome as a potential driver of the terroir signature has been underestimated until recently. Herein, we present a first comprehensive view of the multi-omic landscape related to transcriptome, proteome, epigenome, and metagenome of the popular Protected Geographical Indication potatoes of Naxos.

Plant responses to salinity are becoming increasingly understood, however, salt priming mechanisms remain unclear, especially in perennial fruit trees. Herein, we showed that low-salt pre-exposure primes olive (Olea europaea) plants against high salinity stress. We then performed a proteogenomic study to characterize priming responses in olive roots and leaves. Integration of transcriptomic and proteomic data along with metabolic data revealed robust salinity changes that exhibit distinct or overlapping patterns in olive tissues, among which we focused on sugar regulation. Using the multi-crossed -omics data set, we showed that major differences between primed and nonprimed tissues are mainly associated with hormone signaling and defense-related interactions. We identified multiple genes and proteins, including known and putative regulators, that reported significant proteomic and transcriptomic changes between primed and nonprimed plants. Evidence also supported the notion that protein post-translational modifications, notably phosphorylations, carbonylations and S-nitrosylations, promote salt priming. The proteome and transcriptome abundance atlas uncovered alterations between mRNA and protein quantities within tissues and salinity conditions. Proteogenomic-driven causal model discovery also unveiled key interaction networks involved in salt priming. Data generated in this study are important resources for understanding salt priming in olive tree and facilitating proteogenomic research in plant physiology.

Although Tau accumulation is clearly linked to pathogenesis in Alzheimer's disease and other Tauopathies, the mechanism that initiates the aggregation of this highly soluble proteinin vivoremains largely unanswered. Interestingly,in vitroTau can be induced to form fibrillar filaments by oxidation of its two cysteine residues, generating an intermolecular disulfide bond that promotes dimerization and fibrillization. The recently solved structures of Tau filaments revealed that the two cysteine residues are not structurally equivalent since Cys-322 is incorporated into the core of the fibril, whereas Cys-291 projects away from the core to form the fuzzy coat. Here, we examined whether mutation of these cysteines to alanine affects differentially Tau mediated toxicity and dysfunction in the well-establishedDrosophilaTauopathy model. Experiments were conducted with both sexes, or with either sex. Each cysteine residue contributes differentially to Tau stability, phosphorylation status, aggregation propensity, resistance to stress, learning, and memory. Importantly, our work uncovers a critical role of Cys-322 in determining Tau toxicity and dysfunction.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTCysteine-291 and Cysteine-322, the only two cysteine residues of Tau present in only 4-Repeat or all isoforms, respectively, have competing functions: as the key residues in the catalytic center, they enable Tau auto-acetylation; and as residues within the microtubule-binding repeat region are important not only for Tau function but also instrumental in the initiation of Tau aggregation. In this study, we present the firstin vivoevidence that their substitution leads to differential consequences on Tau's physiological and pathophysiological functions. These differences raise the possibility that cysteine residues play a potential role in determining the functional diversity between isoforms.

The outer mitochondrial membrane protein SLC25A46 has been recently identified as a novel genetic cause of a wide spectrum of neurological diseases. The aim of the present work was to elucidate the physiological role of SLC25A46 through the identification of its interactome with immunoprecipitation and proteomic analysis in whole cell extracts from the cerebellum, cerebrum, heart, and thymus of transgenic mice expressing ubiquitously SLC25A46-FLAG. Our analysis identified 371 novel putative interactors of SLC25A46 and confirmed 17 known ones. A total of 79 co-immunoprecipitated proteins were common in two or more tissues, mainly participating in mitochondrial activities such as oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and ATP production, active transport of ions or molecules, and the metabolism. Tissue-specific co-immunoprecipitated proteins were enriched for synapse annotated proteins in the cerebellum and cerebrum for metabolic processes in the heart and for nuclear processes and proteasome in the thymus. Our proteomic approach confirmed known mitochondrial interactors of SLC25A46 including MICOS complex subunits and also OPA1 and VDACs, while we identified novel interactors including the ADP/ATP translocases SLC25A4 and SLC25A5, subunits of the OXPHOS complexes and F

Population genetic variability in immune system genes can often underlie variability in immune responses to pathogens. Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are emerging as critical determinants of both severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection severity and long-term immunity, after either recovery or vaccination. A hallmark of coronavirus disease 2019 is its highly variable severity and breadth of immune responses between individuals. To address the underlying mechanisms behind this phenomenon, we analyzed the proteolytic processing of S1 spike glycoprotein precursor antigenic peptides across ten common allotypes of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1), a polymorphic intracellular enzyme that can regulate cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses by generating or destroying antigenic peptides. We utilized a systematic proteomic approach that allows the concurrent analysis of hundreds of trimming reactions in parallel, thus better emulating antigen processing in the cell. While all ERAP1 allotypes were capable of producing optimal ligands for major histocompatibility complex class I molecules, including known severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 epitopes, they presented significant differences in peptide sequences produced, suggesting allotype-dependent sequence biases. Allotype 10, previously suggested to be enzymatically deficient, was rather found to be functionally distinct from other allotypes. Our findings suggest that common ERAP1 allotypes can be a major source of heterogeneity in antigen processing and through this mechanism contribute to variable immune responses in coronavirus disease 2019.

Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας είναι διττός και αφορά αρχικά τη διερεύνηση της ύπαρξης και τηςδοµής βιολογικώς δραστικών λιποειδών στα Υγρά Απόβλητα Ελαιουργίας (ΥΑΕ), και στη συνέχεια τηµελέτη των πιθανών αντιαθηρογόνων δράσεων ενός νέου λειτουργικού τροφίµου το οποίο είναιγιαούρτι 2% σε λιπαρά, εµπλουτισµένο µε το αιθανολικό εκχύλισµα από τα ΥΑΕ σε πειραµατόζωα. Ταβιολογικώς δραστικά λιποειδή αρχικά εκχυλίστηκαν από τα ΥΑΕ µε χρήση καταλλήλων διαλυτών, στησυνέχεια διαχωρίστηκαν/αναλύθηκαν µε τη χρήση HPLC. Τα κλάσµατα που συλλέχθηκανδοκιµάστηκαν σε πλυµένα αιµοπετάλια κουνελιού και το δραστικότερο από αυτά χαρακτηρίστηκε µεφασµατοµετρία µάζας. Το εκχύλισµα των ΥΑΕ προστέθηκε σε γιαούρτι 2% και µελετήθηκε ηαλληλεπίδραση των ΥΑΕ µε τους µικροοργανισµούς του γιαουρτιού, οπού διαπιστώθηκε ότι δενυπήρχε µεταβολή ούτε στο γιαούρτι ούτε στα βιολογικώς δραστικά λιποειδή. Για την in vivo µελέτητης αναστολής των αθηρωµατικών πλακών χρησιµοποιήθηκαν 30 κουνέλια Νέας Ζηλανδίας τα οποίαχωρίστηκαν σε 3 οµάδες και οι οποίες τράφηκαν για 48 ηµέρες µε αθηρογόνο δίαιτα, ενώ σε µίασυγχορηγήθηκε γιαούρτι 2% εµπλουτισµένο µε 500mg Β∆Λ/120g γιαουρτιού και στην τρίτησυγχορηγήθηκε γιαούρτι εµπορίου 2%. Για την υποστροφή των αθηρωµατικών πλακών ταπειραµατόζωα τράφηκαν µε αθηρογόνο δίαιτα για 45 ηµέρες και χωρίστηκαν σε 3 οµάδες που η µιατράφηκε µε τυπική κουνελοτροφή ΤΚ, η δεύτερη µε ΤΚ και γιαούρτι εµπλουτισµένο µε ΥΑΕ και ηΤρίτη µε ΤΚ και γιαούρτι εµπορίου 2%. Μετά το τέλος της παρέµβασης τα πειραµατόζωαευθανατώθηκαν και έγινε µορφοµετρική αξιολόγηση των αθηρωµατικών βλαβών στα αγγεία τουςύστερα από µονιµοποίηση σε παραφίνη. Επιπλέον µετρήθηκαν τα λιποειδή αίµατος, κυτταροκίνες καιτα µεταβολικά ένζυµα του PAF πριν και µετά την παρέµβαση. Τα πειραµατόζωα δεν εµφάνισανπρόβληµα στην πρόσληψη της τροφής ενισχυµένη µε γιαούρτι είτε εµπορίου ή ενισχυµένο µε ΥΑΕ καιαναπτύχθηκαν κανονικά. Στις οµάδες της αναστολής τα πειραµατόζωα της Οµάδας που τράφηκαν µεγιαούρτι και ΥΑΕ εµφάνισαν µείωση του πάχους των αθηρωµατικών πλακών σε σύγκριση µε τηνΟµάδα ελέγχου, ενώ το απλό γιαούρτι έδειξε µόνο µια τάση µείωσης τους αλλά όχι στατιστικώςσηµαντική. Τα αποτελέσµατα αυτά συµφωνούν µε τη µείωση της IL-1b στην οµάδα Β. Τα µεταβολικάένζυµα του PAF στα κύτταρα και τους ιστούς διαφοροποιούνται µε τέτοιο τρόπο που συµφωνούν µε τα ευνοϊκά αποτελέσµατα από τη χρήση του γιαουρτιού απλού ή ενισχυµένου. Όσον αφορά τηνπαρέµβαση της υποστροφής των αθηρωµατικών πλακών, η χορήγηση γιαουρτιού απλού ή ενισχυµένουµείωσε τα λιποειδή αίµατος σε πολλές περιπτώσεις στα βασικά επίπεδα πριν τη χορήγησηχοληστερόλης. Στην περίπτωση της ολικής και της LDL χοληστερόλης, το εµπλουτισµένο γιαούρτιµείωσε τις τιµές στα βασικά επίπεδα, ενώ και τα δύο γιαούρτια µείωσαν τα επίπεδα τωντριακυλογλυκερολών χαµηλότερα και από τις αρχικές τιµές. Οι αθηρωµατικές πλάκες µειώθηκανσηµαντικά στην οµάδα που τράφηκε µε εµπλουτισµένο γιαούρτι, που συµφωνεί µε τη µείωση της IL-1b κάτω και από τα αρχικά της επίπεδα σε σχέση µε την οµάδα ελέγχου αλλά και την Οµάδα πουτράφηκε µε απλό γιαούρτι. Ως προς τα ένζυµα µεταβολισµού του PAF η Lp-PLA2 αυξάνεται σε όλεςτις Οµάδες µε την πρόσληψη της αθηρογόνου δίαιτας, αλλά µειώνεται κάτω και από τα βασικά τηςεπίπεδα στο χρόνο 0 µετά την πρόσληψη των γιαουρτιών. Όπως και στην περίπτωση της αναστολήςστα κύτταρα και τους ιστούς τα µεταβολικά ένζυµα του PAF διαφοροποιούνται µε τέτοιο τρόπο πουσυµφωνούν µε τα ευνοϊκά αποτελέσµατα από τη χρήση του γιαουρτιού απλού ή ενισχυµένου.

Introduction: Despite the significant progress that has been made during the last decade, Greece still faces the effects of road traffic accidents (RTAs) to a great extent every year. This study represents an epidemiological approach to road traffic injuries (RTIs) presenting to a secondary hospital in a geographical area with very low-quality road network; it aims to indicate possible preventive measures and actions. Methods: The present study was conducted in Rethymnon General Hospital between January 2018 and February 2020. Data from all trauma patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) after RTAs were retrospectively collected from patient medical records. The severity of injury sustained by road traffic victims was graded using the Injury Severity Score (ISS). Results: During the study period, 1582 trauma patients presented to the ED after RTAs. There were 1079 men and 503 women and the median age was 30 years. In total, 818 motorcycle-related injuries (51.7%), 497 automobile-related injuries (31.4%), 165 bicycle-related injuries (10.4%) and 102 pedestrian injuries (6.4%) were documented. Of the 1582 trauma patients, 58.2% (921) presented with injuries to the extremities, 35.3% (554) presented with thoracic injuries, 34.4% (541) presented with head injuries, 30% (475) presented with spinal column injuries, 17.4% (271) presented with facial injuries, 12.9% (203) presented with abdominal injuries and 10.3% (162) presented with pelvic injuries. A significant increase in the number of incidents was noticed during the tourist season. Median ISS was 2 (IQR=4). 53.7% of patients who were transferred to the hospital by ambulance had an ISS≤4. In 41 cases, transportation to a tertiary hospital was necessary, six patients had emergency operations and 13 others died in the ED. The median length of hospital stay was 3 (IQR=6) days. Conclusion: Actions that could possibly mitigate the burden of RTIs in the district of Rethymnon include upgrading the level of law enforcement, implementing educational strategies and information campaigns against inappropriate ambulance use, encouraging facilities to develop trauma registries and ensuring adequate hospital staffing.

Internet of Things (IoT) with its growing number of deployed devices and applications raises significant challenges for network maintenance procedures. In this work, we formulate a problem of autonomous maintenance in IoT networks as a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process. Subsequently, we utilize Deep Reinforcement Learning algorithms (DRL) to train agents that decide if a maintenance procedure is in order or not and, in the former case, the proper type of maintenance needed. To avoid wasting the scarce resources of IoT networks we utilize the Age of Information (AoI) metric as a reward signal for the training of the smart agents. AoI captures the freshness of the sensory data which are transmitted by the IoT sensors as part of their normal service provision. Numerical results indicate that AoI integrates enough information about the past and present states of the system to be successfully used in the training of smart agents for the autonomous maintenance of the network.

Presentation of antigenic peptides by MHCI is central to cellular immune responses against viral pathogens. While adaptive immune responses versus SARS-CoV-2 can be of critical importance to both recovery and vaccine efficacy, how protein antigens from this pathogen are processed to generate antigenic peptides is largely unknown. Here, we analyzed the proteolytic processing of overlapping precursor peptides spanning the entire sequence of the S1 spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2, by three key enzymes that generate antigenic peptides, aminopeptidases ERAP1, ERAP2 and IRAP. All enzymes generated shorter peptides with sequences suitable for binding onto HLA alleles, but with distinct specificity fingerprints. ERAP1 was the most efficient in generating peptides 8-11 residues long, the optimal length for HLA binding, while IRAP was the least efficient. The combination of ERAP1 with ERAP2 greatly limited the variability of peptide sequences produced. Less than 7% of computationally predicted epitopes were found to be produced experimentally, suggesting that aminopeptidase processing may constitute a significant filter to epitope presentation. These experimentally generated putative epitopes could be prioritized for SARS-CoV-2 immunogenicity studies and vaccine design. We furthermore propose that this in vitro trimming approach could constitute a general filtering method to enhance the prediction robustness for viral antigenic epitopes.

This work provides the first system-wide datasets concerning metabolic changes in calcium-treated fruits, which reveal that exogenously applied calcium may specifically reprogram sweet cherry development and ripening physiognomy. Calcium modulates a wide range of plant developmental processes; however, the regulation of fruit ripening by calcium remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome profiling was used to document the responses of sweet cherry fruit to external calcium application (0.5% CaCl2) at 15, 27 and 37 days after full blossom. Endogenous calcium loading in fruit across development following external calcium feeding was accompanied by a reduction in respiration rate. Calcium treatment strongly impaired water-induced fruit cracking tested by two different assays, and this effect depended on the fruit size, water temperature and light/dark conditions. Substantial changes in the levels of numerous polar/non-polar primary and secondary metabolites, including malic acid, glucose, cysteine, epicatechin and neochlorogenic acid were noticed in fruits exposed to calcium. At the onset of ripening, we identified various calcium-affected genes, including those involved in ubiquitin and cysteine signaling, that had not been associated previously with calcium function in fruit biology. Calcium specifically increased the abundance of a significant number of proteins that classified as oxidoreductases, transferases, hydrolases, lyases, and ligases. The overview of temporal changes in gene expression and corresponding protein abundance provided by interlinked analysis revealed that oxidative phosphorylation, hypersensitive response, DNA repair, stomata closure, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and proton-pump activity were mainly affected by calcium. This report provides the fullest characterization of expression patterns in calcium-responsive genes, proteins and metabolites currently available in fruit ripening and will serve as a blueprint for future biological endeavors.

A large body of applications that involve monitoring, decision making, and forecasting require timely status updates for their efficient operation. Age of Information (AoI) is a newly proposed metric that effectively captures this requirement. Recent research on the subject has derived AoI optimal policies for the generation of status updates and AoI optimal packet queueing disciplines. Unlike previous research, we focus on low-end devices that typically support monitoring applications in the context of the Internet of Things. We acknowledge that these devices host a diverse set of applications some of which are AoI sensitive while others are not. Furthermore, due to their limited computational resources, they typically utilize a simple first-in-first-out (FIFO) queueing discipline. We consider the problem of optimally controlling the status update generation process for a system with a source-destination pair that communicates via a wireless link, whereby the source node is composed of a FIFO queue and serves two applications, one that is AoI sensitive and one that is not. We formulate this problem as a dynamic programming problem and utilize the framework of Markov decision processes to derive the optimal policy for the generation of status update packets. Due to the lack of comparable methods in the literature, we compare the derived optimal policies against baseline policies such as the zero-wait policy. Results indicate that the baseline policy fails to capture the complex system dynamics that determine the relationship between the frequency of status update generation and the resulting queueing delay and thus perform poorly. To the best of our knowledge, the derived optimal policy does not exhibit a simple structure; thus, we utilized the baseline policies, whose operation is intuitive, to gain insight into the inner workings of the optimal policy. Funding Agencies|CENIIT; ELLIIT

Maturity is one of the most important factors associated with the quality of olive products, however the molecular events underlying olive drupe development remain poorly characterized. Using proteomic and metabolomic approaches, this study investigated the changes in the olive drupes (cv. Chondrolia Chalkidikis) across six developmental stages (S1-S6) that characterize the dynamics of fruit growth and color. Primary metabolites, including carbohydrates and organic acids (i.e., xylose, malic acid), showed significant accumulation in the black maturation stage. Temporal changes in various secondary metabolites (e.g., oleuropein, oleacin and tyrosol) were also observed. Proteins involved in oxidation-reduction (i.e., LOX1/5), carbohydrate metabolism (i.e., GLUA, PG) and photosynthesis (i.e., chlorophyll a-b binding proteins) significantly altered in the turning black compared to the green mature stage. By providing the first proteometabolomic study of olive drupe development, this investigation offers a novel framework for further studies on this economically relevant crop.

Autotaxin (ATX) is a secreted lysophospholipase D catalyzing the extracellular production of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a growth factor-like signaling lysophospholipid. ATX and LPA signaling have been incriminated in the pathogenesis of different chronic inflammatory diseases and various types of cancer. In this report, deregulated ATX and LPA levels were detected in the spinal cord and plasma of mice during the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Among the different sources of ATX expression in the inflamed spinal cord, F4/80+CD11b+ cells, mostly activated macrophages and microglia, were found to express ATX, further suggesting an autocrine role for ATX/LPA in their activation, an EAE hallmark. Accordingly, ATX genetic deletion from CD11b+ cells attenuated the severity of EAE, thus proposing a pathogenic role for the ATX/LPA axis in neuroinflammatory disorders.

In this work, we derive optimal transmission policies for an energy harvesting status update system. The system monitors a stochastic process which can be in one of two states of operation, a normal state or an alarm state. We capture the freshness of status updates for each state of the stochastic process by using a separate Age of Information (AoI) variable for each state and by extending the definition of AoI to account for the stochastic process' state changes. We assume that the demand for status updates is higher when the stochastic process is in the alarm state and utilize a transition cost function that increases non-linearly with AoI when the stochastic process is in the alarm state and linearly otherwise. We formulate the problem at hand as a Markov Decision Process, evaluate numerically the derived policies and illustrate their effectiveness for reserving energy in anticipation of future alarm states.

The Friedlander condensation reaction was employed to synthesize the new bidentate ligands namely 6-bromo-4-phenyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-quinoline (1) and 4-(4-phenyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)quinolin-6-yl)phenol (2). These compounds were fully characterized including the X-ray structures of 1 and the protonated form of 2, i.e. 2·HCl·H2O. We also report the synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of two rhodium(III) complexes of the general formula [Rh(1)Cl3(CH3OH)] (3) and [Rh(2)Cl3(CH3OH)] (4). The molecular structures of 3·2CH3OH and 4 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies, revealing that these complexes adopt the mer-configuration. The solution stability of 3, 4 was studied by a combination of UV–Vis and 1H NMR spectroscopic techniques. All compounds were biologically evaluated for their anti- platelet activity using their potency to inhibit the action of PAF (Platelet-Activating Factor), which is an approach of continuous interest in the field. Complexes 3 and 4 were found to be potent PAF inhibitors with IC50 values in the micromolar range (1.0 μM and 3.9 μM respectively). Since PAF is the most potent inflammatory lipid mediator, the PAF-inhibitors and consequently the title compounds may be considered as potent examples in the search for novel anti-inflammatory drugs.

Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) induced platelet activating factor (PAF) synthesis in U-937 cells through stimulation of acetyl-CoA:lysoPAF-acetyltransferase (lyso PAF-AT) at 3 h and DTT-independentCDP-choline-1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol cholinophosphotransferase (PAF-CPT) at 0.5 h. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of tyrosol (T), resveratrol (R) and their acetylated derivatives(AcDs) which exhibit enhanced bioavailability, on PAF synthesis in U-937 after IL-1β stimulation. The specific activity of PAF enzymes and intracellular levels were measured in cell homogenates. T and R concentration capable of inducing 50% inhibition in IL-1β effect on lyso PAF-AT was 48 μΜ ± 11 and 157 μΜ ± 77, for PAF-CPT 246 μΜ ± 61 and 294 μΜ ± 102, respectively. The same order of concentration was also observed on inhibiting PAF levels produced by IL-1β. T was more potent inhibitor than R (p

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of various commonly used antiglaucoma eye drops on inflammatory mediators such as the platelet activating factor (PAF).Various intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering drops were tested to examine their inhibitory effect on PAF. Multiple eye drops were tested in washed rabbit platelets (WRPs) in order to determine the interaction between these eye drops and the inhibition of PAF in the PAF-induced platelet aggregation model. In addition, we examined the eyedrops' effect on PAF-metabolism, through in vitro analysis on PAF basic metabolic enzymes (PAF-CPT, lyso PAF-AT, and PAF-AH).Latanoprost (Xalatan) was found to be the most potent in inhibiting PAF, suggesting that it is the most effective in decreasing IOP amongst the eye drops tested. Conversely, dorzolamide hydrochloride-timolol (Cosopt) exhibited the least anti-PAF action.This is the first study examine the relationship between PAF activity and glaucoma medication. Potency in PAF inhibition may be related to drop efficacy.

Antiretroviral therapy (ΑRT) has successfully decreased AIDS morbidity and mortality and increased the lifespan of HIV patients to several decades. However, numerous factors contribute with unknown mechanisms to chronic immune activation and inflammation leading to severe “non-AIDS morbidities’’. Platelet Activating Factor (PAF) is a potent lipid inflammatory mediator with important role in the ‘’non-AIDS morbidities’’. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether tenofovir-DF/emtricitabine and abacavir/lamivudine with atazanavir boosted ritonavir (ART_A and ART_B, respectively) affect in vitro PAF activity and in vivo PAF levels and metabolism. In this intent, the two ART regimens were examined in vitro against platelet aggregation induced by PAF. In addition, PAF levels and PAF metabolic enzymes were determined in HIV-1 infected volunteers before and after the initiation of antiretroviral therapy for a 12-month period. The in vitro results showed that ritonavir was the most potent inhibitor against PAF induced platelet aggregation while abacavir presented the less potent action. The in vivo results showed that tenofovir-DF/emtricitabine with atazanavir-r seems not to affect PAF levels and metabolism while abacavir/lamivudine with atazanavir-r increased bound and total PAF blood levels, PAF biosynthesis in platelets and also decreased Lp-PLA2 activity. In addition, ART_B revealed higher lyso-PAF-AT specific activity at 3rd, 6th and 9th month (p3=0.04, p6=0.04 and p9=0.03) compared to ART_A. In conclusion, there is a direct relation between in vitro and in vivo effect of antiretrovirals on PAF and abacavircontaining regimen activates PAF biosynthesis leading to elevated PAF levels.

Microporous materials have been tested as absorbent of olive oil mill waste (OOMW) from a three-phase mill. The aim of the present study is to characterise and test the OOMW absorption capacity of fine-grained rocks. The materials tested were zeolite-rich tuff, clay and zeolite-rich tuff, opal-A-rich clayey rock and opal-CT and zeolite-rich clays. The samples were characterised and physico-chemically analysed. The samples exhibit significant differences of their physicochemical properties. Correlations indicated that the OOMW absorption capacity depended mainly on the cumulative volume of pores. Very small pores did not affect considerably the OOMW uptake in contrast to the bigger pores. The opal-CT and zeolite-rich clayey rock was the most efficient absorbent. It is concluded that the synergistic action of three structurally diverse, randomly ordered microporous components which rarely coexist in rocks naturally, results in high cumulative volume of pores and an increased absorption capacity.

Hypercholesterolemia is associated with subclinical inflammation, characterised by elevated proinflammatory mediators. Lyso-platelet-activating factor acetyltransferase (lyso-PAF AT) and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) are two key metabolic enzymes of platelet-activating factor (PAF), a potent inflammatory lipid mediator. Little information is available concerning the efficacy of a dietary intervention on the metabolism of PAF. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of fortified milk on the activity of these enzymes. Forty-three adults (mean age 49.8 � 8.1 years) with body mass index 200 but