Background: Ephrin (Eph) receptors are frequently overexpressed in a wide variety of human malignant tumors, being associated with tumor growth, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of EphA1, A4, A5 and A7 protein expression in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Methods: EphA1, A4, A5 and A7 protein expression was assessed immunohistochemically in tissue microarrays of 88 surgically resected NSCLC and was analyzed in relation with clinicopathological characteristics and patients’ survival. Results: Elevated EphA4 expression was significantly associated with low histopathological stage and presence of inflammation (p = 0.047 and p = 0.026, respectively). Elevated EphA7 expression was significantly associated with older patients’ age, presence of fibrosis and smaller tumor size (p = 0.036, p = 0.029 and p = 0.018, respectively). EphA1, A5 and A7 expression were positively associated with tumor proliferative capacity (p = 0.047, p = 0.002 and p = 0.046, respectively). Elevated EphA4, A5 and A7 expression were identified as predictors of favourable patients’ survival at both univariate (Log-rank test, 0 = 0.019, p = 0.006 and p = 0.012, respectively) and multivariate levels (Cox-regression analysis, p = 0.029, p = 0.068 and p = 0.044, respectively). Conclusions: The present study supported evidence that Ephs may be involved in lung cancer progression, reinforcing their utility as clinical biomarkers for patients’ management and prognosis, as also as potential targets for future therapeutic interventions.

The International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology (TIS) classifies serous effusions into five categories: non-diagnostic (ND), negative for malignancy (NFM), atypia of unknown significance (AUS), suspicious for malignancy (SFM) and malignant (MAL). The main objectives of this classification comprise the establishment of a universal code of communication between cytopathologists and clinicians and histopathologists, as well as between different laboratories worldwide, paving the way for the setting of clinical management guidelines based on the risk of malignancy assessment for each diagnostic category. We retrieved the total number of pleural and peritoneal effusion cases of our department for the three-year time period between 2018 and 2020, yielding a total of 528 and 500 cases, respectively. We then proceeded to reclassify each specimen according to TIS guidelines and calculate the risk of malignancy (ROM) for each category by searching each patients’ histology records, medical history and clinical follow-up. For pleural effusions, 3 (0.57%) cases were classified as ND, 430 (81.44%) cases as NFM, 15 (2.84%) as AUS, 15 (2.84%) as SFM and 65 (12.31%) as MAL. ROM amounted to 0%, 5.3%, 33.33%, 93.33% and 100% for each category, respectively. As far as peritoneal effusions are concerned, 6 (1.2%) were categorized as ND with ROM estimated at 16.66%, 347 (69.4%) as NFM (ROM = 9%), 13 (2.6%) as AUS (ROM = 38.46%), 12 (2.4%) as SFM (ROM = 83.33%) and 122 (24.4%) as MAL (ROM = 100%). Our results underline the utility of the current classification, both as a means of communication between doctors of different specialties and as general guidelines for the further clinical management of patients.

In recent years, huge amounts of antibiotics have been administered to farm animals, and as a result, residues of these antibiotics can accumulate in livestock products and, once consumed, may be transmitted to humans. Farm animals’ antibiotic treatment may therefore present a risk for consumers health, especially for children and adolescents. In children, the immune system is not fully developed, and thus, they are more susceptible than adults to resistant bacteria. A dietary exposure assessment was conducted on veterinary antibiotics found in raw pork meat among children and adolescents in Cyprus, since pork is the most consumed red meat in Cypriot population. The study was based on the results of the occurrence of 45 residual antibiotics in raw pork meat samples in Cyprus between 2012 and 2017 in combination with data on the consumption of pork meat on children and adolescents taken from the latest demographic report in Cyprus. Estimated daily intake (EDI) values of veterinary antibiotics for children aged 6–9 years old, were higher compared to EDI values for adolescents aged 10–17 years old. The percentage ratio of the estimated daily intake to the acceptable daily intake for all the veterinary antibiotic residues was less than 5.6. The results indicate that antibiotic residues in pork meat of inland production are below the acceptable daily intake and are of low risk to human health related to the exposure of antibiotics. Nevertheless, continuous exposure to low levels of antibiotic residues in respect to age vulnerability should be of a great concern.

DJ-1 was originally identified as an oncogene product while mutations of the gene encoding DJ-1/PARK7 were later associated with a recessive form of Parkinson’s disease. Its ubiquitous expression and diversity of function suggest that DJ-1 is also involved in mechanisms outside the central nervous system. In the last decade, the contribution of DJ-1 to the protection from ischemia-reperfusion injury has been recognized and its involvement in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease is attracting increasing attention. This review describes the current and gaps in our knowledge of DJ-1, focusing on its role in regulating cardiovascular function. In parallel, we present original data showing an association between increased DJ-1 expression and antiapoptotic and anti-inflammatory markers following cardiac and vascular surgical procedures. Future studies should address DJ-1’s role as a plausible novel therapeutic target for cardiovascular disease.

A large number of studies have found that the fractal dimension increases with the progression towards pathological or more pathological states, but there are also studies that have demonstrated the opposite relationship. In this study, we calculate the nuclear box-counting fractal dimension of 109 malignant, 113 benign, and 80 normal isolated breast cells in order to investigate its possible diagnostic importance. We computed the fractal dimension and its goodness-of-fit (i.e., the r-squared value that describes how well the regression line fits the set of the measurements) for two different sets of box size lengths. The statistical analysis did not confirm an important diagnostic potential of the nuclear fractal dimension of isolated breast cells. However, the goodness-of-fit did display a diagnostic potential. The r-squared value may be able to serve as a complementary diagnostic parameter.

Ultraviolet radiation exposure is the dominant environmental determinant of all major forms of skin cancer, and the main cause of prematurely aged skin that is referred to as photoaging. Collagen type I (COL I) is expressed differently along with the dermis between healthy and pathological skin tissues. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of solar radiation in the dermis and assess the impact of solar radiation to COL I. The hematoxylin and eosin staining protocol was performed in tissue paraffin blocks and then they were stained immunohistochemically with the rabbit monoclonal anti-COL I antibody. A total of 270 slides were studied with an Olympus BX 41 microscope; we scored positively the expression of COL I in dermis and statistically analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics. Based on our results, we observed that solar elastosis changes the structure of the skin’s collagen. In healthy tissues, COL I had a uniform expression along with the dermis. In tissues with aging, COL I expression was weaker and lost homogeneity. In pathological tissues (non-melanoma skin cancers, NMSCs), precancerous lesions, and benign skin lesions), the expression of COL I was observed to be almost weaker than tissues with aging in all body parts and much weaker below the lesions. The most severe solar elastosis was observed in the extremities. The degree of severity of the solar elastosis in relation to age did not appear to be completely affected. Solar radiation divides the collagen more rapidly than normal biological aging and solar elastosis was observed into the skin tissues with photoaging, which replaces the collagen fibers of the skin. These results confirm previous studies, which have shown that skin COL I decreases during aging, more in photoaging and even more in skin cancers. We conclude that skin COL I expression is reduced as a result of ultraviolet radiation and leading to negative impacts on the skin.