Articles

Editorial Announcement

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Histologic evaluation of femoral nerve demyelinating and axonal neuropathy in Wistar rats due to alendronate intake: a randomised study

Bisphosphonates (BPs) are forceful inhibitors of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. Long-term BP use is associated with multiple rare but severe adverse effects. The objective of this study was to investigat...

Authors: Papamitsou Theodora, Papakoulas Apostolos, Papaliagkas Vasileios, Karachrysafi Sofia, Dietrich Eva-Maria and Sioga Antonia

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for the utilization of ethanol

The fuel ethanol industry has made tremendous progress in the last decades. Ethanol can be obtained by fermentation using a variety of biomass materials as the feedstocks. However, few studies have been conduc...

Authors: Yujin Cao, Hui Mu, Jing Guo, Hui Liu, Rubing Zhang, Wei Liu, Mo Xian and Huizhou Liu

Implications of salep collection for the conservation of the Elder-flowered orchid (Dactylorhiza sambucina) in Epirus, Greece

In Epirus, Greece, orchids have been traditionally harvested for the production of salep, a beverage made from their tubers. Over-collection of orchids for salep is believed to be a growing threat to wild spec...

Authors: Martha Charitonidou, Kalliopi Stara, Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis and John M. Halley

Saliva proteomics updates in biomedicine

In the years of personalized (or precision) medicine the ‘omics’ methodologies in biomedical sciences—genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics—are helping researchers to detect quantifiable biolo...

Authors: Katerina R. Katsani and Dimitra Sakellari

Modulation of RECK levels in Xenopus A6 cells: effects on MT1-MMP, MMP-2 and pERK levels

MT1-MMP is a cell-surface enzyme whose regulation of pro-MMP-2 and ERK activation position it as a key facilitator of ECM remodelling and cell migration. These processes are modulated by endogenous MMP inhibit...

Authors: Jessica A. Willson, Bradley S. Bork, Carlie A. Muir and Sashko Damjanovski

Tanshinone IIA attenuates Aβ-induced neurotoxicity by down-regulating COX-2 expression and PGE2 synthesis via inactivation of NF-κB pathway in SH-SY5Y cells

Amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced neurotoxicity is a major pathological mechanism of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA), extracted from traditional Chinese herb Radix salvia miltiorrhiza, possesses anti-oxid...

Authors: Lijiao Geng, Wei Liu and Yong Chen

Heterozygosity fitness correlations and generation interval of the Norway lobster in the Aegean Sea, eastern Mediterranean

Comprehensively detailed information on population dynamics for benthic species is crucial since potential admixture of individuals could shift the genetic subdivision and age structure during a full breeding ...

Authors: Georgios A. Gkafas, Marianthi Hatziioannou, Emmanouil E. Malandrakis, Costas S. Tsigenopoulos, Ioannis T. Karapanagiotidis, Elena Mente, Dimitrios Vafidis and Athanasios Exadactylos

A contribution to knowledge on the terrestrial malacofauna of the Kastellorizo (Megisti) island group (SE Greece)

The Kastellorizo island group (in the Dodecanese, Greece) is situated in the southeast corner of the Aegean Archipelago. It consists of twenty islets, of which the three largest (Kastellorizo, Ro and Strongyli...

Authors: Moisis Mylonas, Katerina Vardinoyannis and Nikos Poulakakis

Patterns and drivers of species richness and turnover of neo-endemic and palaeo-endemic vascular plants in a Mediterranean hotspot: the case of Crete, Greece

Exploring species richness and turnover patterns and their drivers can provide new insights into underlying mechanisms shaping community assembly, with significant implications for biodiversity conservation. H...

Authors: Maria Lazarina, Athanasios S. Kallimanis, Panayotis Dimopoulos, Maria Psaralexi, Danai-Eleni Michailidou and Stefanos P. Sgardelis

Polyphasic taxonomy of green algae strains isolated from Mediterranean freshwaters

Terrestrial, freshwater and marine green algae constitute the large and morphologically diverse phylum of Chlorophyta, which gave rise to the core chlorophytes. Chlorophyta are abundant and diverse in freshwat...

Authors: Urania Lortou and Spyros Gkelis

Endemic plants of Crete in electronic trade and wildlife tourism: current patterns and implications for conservation

The island of Crete is a biodiversity hotspot having 223 endemic vascular taxa (species and subspecies) as a result of its long isolation and the wide range of habitats it includes. We explore trends and patte...

Authors: Viktoria Menteli, Nikos Krigas, Manolis Avramakis, Nicholas Turland and Despoina Vokou

The decreased SIRT1 level may account for the lipid profile in chronic kidney disease

Dysregulated lipid profile with hypertriglyceridemia and increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) whereas the reason is unclear. A similar phenomenon is found in the el...

Authors: Gang Chen and Xuemei Li

T-Box20 inhibits osteogenic differentiation in adipose-derived human mesenchymal stem cells: the role of T-Box20 on osteogenesis

Skeletal development and its cellular function are regulated by various transcription factors. The T-box (Tbx) family of transcription factors have critical roles in cellular differentiation as well as heart a...

Authors: Samaneh Mollazadeh, Bibi Sedigheh Fazly Bazzaz, Vajiheh Neshati, Antoine A. F. de Vries, Hojjat Naderi-Meshkin, Majid Mojarad, Zeinab Neshati and Mohammad Amin Kerachian

Genetic diversity analysis in Plectranthus edulis (Vatke) Agnew populations collected from diverse geographic regions in Ethiopia using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) DNA marker system

Plectranthus edulis (Vatke) Agnew (Lamiaceae), locally known as Ethiopian potato syno. Ethiopian dinich, is one of the native Ethiopian edible tuber crops that has been significantly contributing to household foo...

Authors: Medhin Gebrehiwet, Teklehaimanot Haileselassie, Fekadu Gadissa and Kassahun Tesfaye

Promoting evolution: the brand new Hellenic Evolutionary Society (HEVOS)

Herein we present the recently founded Hellenic Evolutionary Society (HEVOS) that has been recently instituted to promote evolution and scientific thinking among the Greek-speaking public. HEVOS is a timely in...

Authors: Theodore J. Abatzopoulos, Sinos Giokas, Panayiotis Pafilis, Nikos Poulakakis, Spyros Sfenthourakis and Eleftherios Zouros

Comparative transcriptional analysis of flavour-biosynthetic genes of a native Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain fermenting in its natural must environment, vs. a commercial strain and correlation of the genes’ activities with the produced flavour compounds

During alcoholic fermentation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae synthesizes more than 400 different compounds with higher alcohols, acetate esters of higher alcohols and ethyl esters of medium-chain fatty acids being the...

Authors: Maria Parapouli, Afroditi Sfakianaki, Nikolaos Monokrousos, Angelos Perisynakis and Efstathios Hatziloukas

Unbiased phenotypic identification of functionally distinct hematopoietic progenitors

Hematopoiesis is a model-system for studying cellular development and differentiation. Phenotypic and functional characterization of hematopoietic progenitors has significantly aided our understanding of the m...

Authors: Grigorios Georgolopoulos, Mineo Iwata, Nikoletta Psatha, Minas Yiangou and Jeff Vierstra

Comparative analysis of differentially expressed genes between the ovaries from pregnant and nonpregnant goats using RNA-Seq

A multitude of genes tightly regulate ovarian follicular development and hormone secretion. These complex and coordinated biological processes are altered during pregnancy. In order to further understand the r...

Authors: Qing Quan, Qi Zheng, Yinghui Ling, Fugui Fang, Mingxing Chu, Xiaorong Zhang, Yong Liu and Wenyong Li

A systematic simulation-based meta-analytical framework for prediction of physiological biomarkers in alopecia

Alopecia or hair loss is a complex polygenetic and psychologically devastating disease affecting millions of men and women globally. Since the gene annotation and environmental knowledge is limited for alopeci...

Authors: Syed Aun Muhammad, Nighat Fatima, Rehan Zafar Paracha, Amjad Ali and Jake Y. Chen

Intraspecific morphological variation of the sperm storing organ in two hermaphroditic land snail species

Postcopulatory sexual selection is very important in species with reproductive strategies that involve multiple mating and prolonged sperm storage. The sperm storage organ has been hypothesized to evolve in re...

Authors: Alexandra Staikou and Evripidis Koemtzopoulos

Immune cell counts and signaling in body fluids of cows vaccinated against Clostridium difficile

New treatment options are needed to prevent relapses following failed antibiotic therapies of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) in humans. The concomitant therapy with an anti-C. difficile IgA containing whe...

Authors: Christiane Schmautz, Nadine Müller, Marlene Auer, Ines Ballweg, Michael W. Pfaffl and Heike Kliem

Transcriptional regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in a high-anthocyanin resynthesized Brassica napus cultivar

Anthocyanins are plant secondary metabolites with key roles in attracting insect pollinators and protecting against biotic and abiotic stresses. They have potential health-promoting effects as part of the huma...

Authors: Gayatri Goswami, Ujjal Kumar Nath, Jong-In Park, Mohammad Rashed Hossain, Manosh Kumar Biswas, Hoy-Taek Kim, Hye Ran Kim and Ill-Sup Nou

Developing computational biology at meridian 23° E, and a little eastwards

Modern biology is experiencing a deep transformation by the expansion of molecular-level measurements at all scales, using omics technologies. A key element in this transformation is the field of bioinformatic...

Authors: Christos A. Ouzounis

Combined study on clastogenic, aneugenic and apoptotic properties of doxorubicin in human cells in vitro

Doxorubicin is a widely used anticancer drug due to its broad spectrum of antitumor activity. Various mechanisms have been proposed for its cytostatic activity, including DNA intercalation, topoisomerase II in...

Authors: Vasiliki Chondrou, Katerina Trochoutsou, Andreas Panayides, Maria Efthimiou, Georgia Stephanou and Nikos A. Demopoulos

MicroRNA expression profile of urinary exosomes in Type IV lupus nephritis complicated by cellular crescent

Type IV lupus nephritis (LNIV) is a severe disease characterized by diffuse proliferative lesions, and its prognosis is worse with cellular crescent (LNIV-CC) involvement. Urinary exosomes have been shown to r...

Authors: Yi Li, Xiaosong Xu, Xiaopeng Tang, Xiuwu Bian, Bingbing Shen, Hongwen Zhao, Shiyuan Luo, Zhiwen Chen and Keqin Zhang

3D electron tomographic and biochemical analysis of ER, Golgi and trans Golgi network membrane systems in stimulated Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) glandular cells

The insect-trapping leaves of Dionaea muscipula provide a model for studying the secretory pathway of an inducible plant secretory system. The leaf glands were induced with bovine serum albumin to secrete proteas...

Authors: Zachary R. Gergely, Dana E. Martinez, Bryon S. Donohoe, Soren Mogelsvang, Rachel Herder and L. Andrew Staehelin

The family Raphitomidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Conoidea) in the Greek Seas with the description of two new species

The Raphitomidae family in the Mediterranean Sea is under revision. Accordingly, new data are of taxonomic and comparative relevance. In this study, new material from the Hellenic Seas is presented.

Authors: Thanasis Manousis, Constantinos Kontadakis, George Mbazios and Georgios Polyzoulis

Differences in trophic resources and niches of two juvenile predatory species in three Pangani estuarine zones, Tanzania: stomach contents and stable isotope approaches

Estuaries are primary habitats that serve as feeding and nursery grounds for most juvenile marine fish. However, estuaries have been used as fishing grounds by the artisanal fishers in Tanzania. The slow-growi...

Authors: Alistidia Paul Mwijage, Daniel Abel Shilla and John Ferdinand Machiwa

Cortical microtubule orientation in Arabidopsis thaliana root meristematic zone depends on cell division and requires severing by katanin

Transverse cortical microtubule orientation, critical for anisotropic cell expansion, is established in the meristematic root zone. Intending to elucidate the possible prerequisites for this establishment and ...

Authors: Emmanuel Panteris, Barbara-Evelin Diannelidis and Ioannis-Dimosthenis S. Adamakis

StarSeeker: an automated tool for mature duplex microRNA sequence identification based on secondary structure modeling of precursor molecule

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules that play a key role in gene regulation in both plants and animals. MicroRNA biogenesis involves the enzymatic processing of a primary RNA transcript. The...

Authors: Paschalis Natsidis, Ilias Kappas and Wojciech M. Karlowski

Correction to: Molecular, biochemical and kinetic analysis of a novel, thermostable lipase (LipSm) from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Psi‑1, the first member of a new bacterial lipase family (XIX)

We have recently (8th February 2018) published our article entitled “Molecular, biochemical and kinetic analysis of a novel, thermostable lipase (LipSm) from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Psi-1, the first member o...

Authors: Maria Parapouli, Athanasios Foukis, Panagiota‑Yiolanda Stergiou, Maria Koukouritaki, Panagiotis Magklaras, Olga A. Gkini, Emmanuel M. Papamichael, Amalia‑Sofia Afendra and Efstathios Hatziloukas

Spatial and temporal patterns in the diet of barn owl (Tyto alba) in Cyprus

The barn owl, a nocturnal raptor with cosmopolitan distribution, shows a great adaptability to different environments. Regarding prey, the barn owl is a rather selective species, but if changes in the abundanc...

Authors: Michaella Moysi, Maria Christou, Vassilis Goutner, Nikos Kassinis and Savvas Iezekiel

Changes in the microstructure of compact and trabecular bone tissues of mice subchronically exposed to alcohol

Alcohol is one of the most commonly consumed neurotoxins by humans. Its negative effect on bone health is known for a long time. However, its impact on qualitative and quantitative 2D characteristics of the co...

Authors: Monika Martiniakova, Anna Sarocka, Ramona Babosova, Birgit Grosskopf, Edyta Kapusta, Zofia Goc, Grzegorz Formicki and Radoslav Omelka

The repeated emergence of asexuality, the hidden genomes and the role of parthenogenetic rare males in the brine shrimp Artemia

The backbone of this endeavour consists of three major components as they appear in the title. My intention is to summarise, as explicitly as possible, both existing and novel data on the occurrence of parthen...

Authors: Theodore J. Abatzopoulos

New marine gastropod records for the Hellenic waters

The Hellenic Seas are influenced by on-going environmental changes and the introduction of alien species, which are expected to have an impact on their biodiversity. This study contributes to the knowledge of ...

Authors: Thanasis Manousis, Constantinos Kontadakis, Georgios Polyzoulis, George Mbazios and Sofia Galinou-Mitsoudi

Cadmium uptake kinetics in parts of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa at high exposure concentrations

Seagrass species have been recommended as biomonitors of environmental condition and as tools for phytoremediation, due to their ability to concentrate anthropogenic chemicals. This study aims to provide novel...

Authors: Paraskevi Malea, Theodoros Kevrekidis, Konstantina-Roxani Chatzipanagiotou and Athanasios Mogias

Molecular, biochemical and kinetic analysis of a novel, thermostable lipase (LipSm) from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Psi-1, the first member of a new bacterial lipase family (XVIII)

Microbial lipases catalyze a broad spectrum of reactions and are enzymes of considerable biotechnological interest. The focus of this study was the isolation of new lipase genes, intending to discover novel li...

Authors: Maria Parapouli, Athanasios Foukis, Panagiota-Yiolanda Stergiou, Maria Koukouritaki, Panagiotis Magklaras, Olga A. Gkini, Emmanuel M. Papamichael, Amalia-Sofia Afendra and Efstathios Hatziloukas

Bone marrow stem cells to destroy circulating HIV: a hypothetical therapeutic strategy

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) still poses enigmatic threats to human life. This virus has mastered in bypassing anti retroviral therapy leading to patients’ death. Circulating viruses are phenomenal for t...

Authors: Umesh Chandra Halder

HaloDom: a new database of halophiles across all life domains

Halophilic organisms may thrive in or tolerate high salt concentrations. They have been studied for decades and a considerable number of papers reporting new halophilic species are being published every year. ...

Authors: Alexios Loukas, Ilias Kappas and Theodore J. Abatzopoulos

Genetic diversity analysis of cultivated Korarima [Aframomum corrorima (Braun) P.C.M. Jansen] populations from southwestern Ethiopia using inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) marker

Korarima (Aframomum corrorima) is a perennial and aromatic herb native and widely distributed in southwestern Ethiopia. It is known for its fine flavor as a spice in various Ethiopian traditional dishes. Few mole...

Authors: Dagmawit Chombe and Endashaw Bekele

Effects of partial dietary supplementation of fish meal with soymeal on the stress and apoptosis response in the digestive system of common dentex (Dentex dentex)

Soybean is a common alternative protein source of plant origin in aquafeeds as it has a reasonably balanced amino acid profile and is widely available. This study aimed to investigate the influence of partial ...

Authors: Efthimia Antonopoulou, Eleni Chouri, Konstantinos Feidantsis, Antigone Lazou and Stavros Chatzifotis

Host species and pathogenicity effects in the evolution of the mitochondrial genomes of Eimeria species (Apicomplexa; Coccidia; Eimeriidae)

Mitochondria are fundamental organelles responsible for cellular metabolism and energy production in eukaryotes via the oxidative phosphorylation pathway. Mitochondrial DNA is often used in population and spec...

Authors: Asma Awadi

AFLP reveals low genetic diversity of the bryozoan Pectinatella magnifica (Leidy, 1851) in the Czech Republic

Non-native species have aroused scientific interest because of their ability to successfully colonise areas to which they have been introduced, despite their sometimes limited genetic variation compared to the...

Authors: Vendula Moravcová, Jana Moravcová, Vladislav Čurn, Zuzana Balounová, Josef Rajchard and Lenka Havlíčková

Evaluation of a simple method for storage of blood samples that enables isolation of circulating tumor cells 96 h after sample collection

Minimizing the effects of transportation on the properties of biological material is a major challenge for the scientific community. The viability of cells is important in cases where their study is urgent for...

Authors: Panagiotis Apostolou, Dimitrios-Athanasios Ntanovasilis and Ioannis Papasotiriou

MicroRNA-454 may function as an oncogene via targeting AKT in triple negative breast cancer

Altered microRNAs expression mediates tumor development and progression in many type cancers including triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Here we detected the effect of miR-454 on cell proliferation, migrat...

Authors: Qun Li, Jia Liu, Xianying Meng, Renzhu Pang and Jie Li

Bone marker gene expression in calvarial bones: different bone microenvironments

In calvarial mice, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) differentiate into osteoprogenitor cells and then differentiate into osteoblasts that differentiate into osteocytes, which become embedded within the bone matri...

Authors: Osama Al-Amer

Two single nucleotide polymorphisms sites in α1-AT gene and their association with somatic cell score in Chinese Holstein cows

Alpha 1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) may affect the susceptibility of mastitis in dairy cattle for its possible role in the protection of lactoferrin from proteolytic degradation in the mammary. Milk somatic cell score...

Authors: Xiao-Fei Guo, Wen-Ping Hu, Xian-Zheng Lang, Qiu-Ling Li, Xiang-Yu Wang, Ran Di, Qiu-Yue Liu, Xiao-Lin Liu, Yong-Fu An and Ming-Xing Chu

A survey of methods and tools to detect recent and strong positive selection

Positive selection occurs when an allele is favored by natural selection. The frequency of the favored allele increases in the population and due to genetic hitchhiking the neighboring linked variation diminis...

Authors: Pavlos Pavlidis and Nikolaos Alachiotis

Sudden infant death syndrome due to long QT syndrome: a brief review of the genetic substrate and prevalence

The pathophysiological mechanisms which lead to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are not completely understood. Cardiac channelopathies are a well-established causative factor with long QT syndrome (LQTS) b...

Authors: Nikolaos S. Ioakeimidis, Theodora Papamitsou, Soultana Meditskou and Zafiroula Iakovidou-Kritsi