Corfu Research Articles

Structure and Antibacterial Activity of Brominated Diterpenes from the Red Alga Sphaerococcus coronopifolius

Four new tetracyclic brominated diterpenes, 1-4, were isolated from the organic extract of Sphaerococcus coronopifolius, collected from the rocky coasts of Corfu Island. The structures of the new natural products, as well as their relative configurations, were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectral analyses, including 2D-NMR experiments. The isolated metabolites were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against a panel of bacteria including multidrug-resistant (MDR) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with MIC values in the range of 16-128 microg/ml.

Structure and in vitro antitumor activity evaluation of brominated diterpenes from the red alga Sphaerococcus coronopifolius

A novel bromoditerpene methyl ketone ( 1), two new bromoditerpene alcohols featuring a neodolastane ( 2), and a bromocorodienol skeleton ( 3), along with 13 previously reported metabolites ( 4– 16) were isolated from the organic extract of Sphaerococcus coronopifolius collected from the rocky coasts of Corfu island in the Ionian Sea. The structures of the new natural products, as well as their relative stereochemistry, were elaborated on the basis of extensive spectral analysis, including 2D NMR experiments. The absolute stereochemistry of metabolite 3 was determined using the modified Mosher’s method. The isolated metabolites were evaluated for their antitumoral activity against four human apoptosis-resistant (U373, A549, SKMEL-28, OE21) and two human apoptosis-sensitive (PC-3, LoVo) cancer cell lines with IC 50 in vitro growth inhibitory concentrations in the range 3–100 μM.

Report on WEMIS 2009

Report on WEMIS 2009

Second Workshop on Very Large Digital Libraries 2009

Second Workshop on Very Large Digital Libraries 2009

Subcutaneous dirofilariasis caused by Dirofilaria repens in Greece: a case report

Dirofilaria repens (formerly Dirofilaria conjunctiva) is a natural parasite of the subcutaneous tissues of dogs, cats and wild carnivores in Europe, Africa and Asia. Microfilariae are transmitted to humans by various species of mosquito. An autochthonous case of subcutaneous dirofilariasis is reported in a Greek patient from the island of Corfu. The clinical manifestation of the infection was a palpable, painless, subcutaneous nodule in the region of the groin, which 2 days before the patient consulted the doctor developed symptoms and signs of inflammation (pain, edema and redness). The entire lesion was surgically removed, and the nematode worm D. repens was identified on histological sections of biopsy material. The aim of this report was (a) to describe the microscopic morphological features of D. repens that enable identification of the parasite on histological examination and (b) to emphasize the importance of consideration of subcutaneous dirofilariasis in the differential diagnosis of subcutaneous nodules with inflammatory eosinophilic infiltration in countries where the infection is endemic.

Sphaeroane and Neodolabellane Diterpenes from the Red Alga Sphaerococcus coronopifolius

Investigation of minor metabolites in the extracts of the red alga Sphaerococcus coronopifolius collected from the rocky coasts of Corfu Island in the Ionian Sea yielded two new diterpene alcohols, sphaerollanes I, and II (1, 2) featuring neodolabellane skeletons, and the new sphaeroane diterpene alcohol 16-hydroxy-9S*-acetoxy-8-epi-isosphaerodiene-2 (3), along with two previously reported metabolites 4, 5. The structures of the new natural products, as well as their relative stereochemistry, were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectral analysis, including 2D-NMR experiments.

Linking Emergency Medical Department and Road Traffic Police Casualty Data: A Tool in Assessing the Burden of Injuries in Less Resourced Countries

Objective: The study aimed to (1) assess the magnitude of road traffic injuries in a country missing a formal linkage system of police with hospital data, (2) quantify the underreporting, and (3) produce a convenient algorithm exploring its constituent components. Methods: Linkage of disaggregate (individual) data collected by the road traffic police (RTP) with those by the Emergency Department Injury Surveillance System (EDISS) on the Greek island of Corfu and coded with different classification systems was carried out. The applied four-step methodology, also comprising the calculation of underreporting coefficients of the variation by basic demographic variables, mode of transport, and injury outcome, led to the identification of the overall underreporting from either registry. Results: RTP data captured 96.6% (coefficient: 1.035), whereas EDISS captured only 54.4% of total fatalities (overall concordance: 51.1%). On the contrary, EDISS captured 94.6% of nonfatal injuries, whereas RTP only captured 16% (coefficient: 6.238), resulting in a low overall concordance (10.6%). Considering severity of injury assessed by EDISS, by using the ISS as the gold standard, RTP data misclassified 20.3% of severe injuries as less severe, and a statistically significant difference in the underreporting by gender was also noted. Conclusion: Relatively simple methodologies can provide essential coefficients to assess the actual numbers, severity, and components of road casualties by complementing routinely collected RTP with sentinel emergency department reporting systems.

Recurrent rhabdomyolysis in a patient with oculocutaneous albinism type 1 and platelet storage‐pool deficiency

Oculocutaneous albinism type 1; platelet storage-pool deficiency; Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome;recurrent rhabdomyolysis; malignant hyperthermia syndromeOculocutaneous albinism (OCA) comprises a group of autosomal recessive disorders with aclinical spectrum that ranges from the most severe OCA type 1A (OCA1A, OMIM 203100),with a complete lack of melanin production throughout life, to milder forms (OCA1B,OMIM 606952; OCA2, OMIM 203200; OCA3, OMIM 203290; and OCA4, OMIM606574) [Gronskov, 2007]. At least four human genes are implicated; TYR, P, TYRP1andMATP. There are also syndromic forms of OCA, among which is Hermansky-Pudlaksyndrome (HPS, OMIM 203300), an autosomal recessive disease characterized by OCA,bleeding tendency due to platelet storage-pool deficiency, and variable manifestations due tolysosomal ceroid lipofuscinosis in multiple organs. [Wei, 2006; Huizing and Gahl, 2002;Gahl et al., 1998; Li et al., 2003]. The clinical manifestations of different HPS types arevariable and at least 8 human types have been described associated with mutations in 4ubiquitously expressed protein complexes genes; adaptor protein-3 (AP-3) and biogenesis oflysosome-related organelles complex 1 through -3 (BLOC-1,-2 and -3) [Dell’Angelica,2004].Here we present a patient with oculocutaneous albinism type 1, recurrent rhabdomyolysisand bleeding diathesis. Our patient (Fig. 1A) was a 14.5 year old girl from Corfu island(Greece), born at term to healthy, nonconsanguineous parents. She had oculocutaneousalbinism, horizontal nystagmus, photophobia and severely decreased visual acuity. Her

Brominated Diterpenes with Antibacterial Activity from the Red Alga Sphaerococcus coronopifolius

Four new brominated diterpenes (1, 2, 4, 5), along with two previously reported metabolites (3, 6), were isolated from the organic extract of Sphaerococcus coronopifolius, collected in Palaiokastritsa Bay at the west coast of Corfu Island. The structures of the new products, as well as their relative configuration, were established by means of spectroscopic data analyses, including 2D NMR experiments. The isolated metabolites were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against a panel of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with MICs in the range 0.5-128 microg/mL.

Northeastern Ionian Sea: Palaeoceanographic variability over the last 22 ka

The sediments of a deep sea core (Z1) taken from the north-eastern part of the Ionian Sea near Corfu Island (Greece) was studied in order to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental history of the basin over the time interval between 22 and 1.5 ka. The downcore variation in the associations of planktonic foraminifera provides a continuous record of the faunal changes over this period. A succession of eight (8) main biozones, based on the major changes in the planktonic foraminifera record, were recognized. Their comparisons with records from the Tyrrhenian and the Adriatic Seas have shown that there is a similarity and synchroneity in the zonation. Furthermore, the downcore compositional changes of the planktonic foraminiferal assemblages and the δ 18Ο signal made possible allowed the recognition of millennial to centennial climatic instabilities. These climatic instabilities are associated with the Heinrich 1 (H1) event, the GI-1a to GI-1e INTIMATE events, the Younger Dryas and the Holocene cool events at 8.2 ka, 7 ka, 5 ka, 4 ka and 3 ka. R-mode factor analysis applied to the percentage abundance of plantkonic foraminifera species from seven cores in the Ionian, Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas showed that the faunal composition in the three seas was controlled by temporal and spatial variations in: (i) the sea surface temperature, (ii) the stratification and mixing of the surficial waters and (iii) the fertility of surface waters associated with upwelling and/or river inputs. These variations were in phase or out of phase in the three seas.

Cytotoxic bromoditerpenes from the red alga Sphaerococcus coronopifolius

Three new brominated diterpenes ( 1, 2, 8), along with six previously reported metabolites ( 3– 7, 9), were isolated from the organic extract of Sphaerococcus coronopifolius, collected in Palaiokastritsa bay at the west coasts of Corfu Island. The structures of the new natural products, as well as their relative stereochemistry, were established by means of spectral data analyses, including 2D experiments. The absolute stereochemistry of 2 and 4 as well as the structure revision of the previously reported metabolite 3 were established by X-ray crystallographic analyses. The cytotoxicity of the isolated metabolites was evaluated against the NSCLC-N6-L16 and A549 human lung cancer cell lines.

Seasonal fluctuations of nutrients in a hypersaline Mediterranean lagoon

The Korissia lagoon is located in the southwest of Corfu Island, Greece. It is a shallow coastal ecosystem of great aesthetic and ecological importance, included in the Natura 2000 network of protected areas. The lagoon is connected to the sea by an artificial channel and its depth varies between 0.5 and 1.2 m. During summer it is hypersaline (salinity exceeds 50 psu) and surface temperature is 23.6–26.1°C, while DO values are 75–100%. On the other hand, in winter salinity falls to about 19 psu, surface temperature is 13.5–16.2°C and DO varies between 91 and 115%. Salt water intrusion occurs only to wells adjacent to the lagoon. Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, phosphates and total organic carbon have been measured in six surface water samples from the lagoon as well as in 10 well water samples collected from wells adjacent to the lagoon in two sampling periods, September 2005 and March 2006. Ammonia is the main dissolved inorganic N (DIN) form in the lagoon (79%), while nitrates predominate in the wells (99%), with values indicating fertilizers contamination. In general, DIN forms in the lagoon tend to increase from late summer to late winter and especially ammonia whose values are strongly related to sedimental N. On the other hand, nitrates values are affected by water exchange between the lagoon and the Ionian Sea. The presence of increased amounts of phosphates in the wells constitutes one more proof of extensive use of fertilizers in the region. On the contrary, P is the limiting factor in the lagoon on both sampling periods. According to eutrophication criteria, the lagoon is eutrophic concerning N and oligotrophic concerning P. Generally, the region’s well water is proper for human consumption, as far as the chemical parameters presented in this study are concerned, based on Council Directive 98/83/EC. Some wells are excepted because of increased salinity, nitrates and ammonia. Increased TOC values were measured in the lagoon where it ranged between 4.12–5.65 mg/l and in the wells between 0.13–2.93 mg/l. The results of our study indicate that Korissia lagoon is an interesting and probably fragile system that needs further study and a scientific management plan in order to avoid environmental degradation.

The Island of Corfu in Venetian Policy in the Fourteenth and Early Fifteenth Centuries

The Island of Corfu in Venetian Policy in the Fourteenth and Early Fifteenth Centuries

Questionnaire

Jacques Attali is a professor, writer and honorary member of the Conseil d'Etat; CEO of A&A, an international consulting firm specializing in new technologies; and President of PlaNet Finance, an international non-profit organization that assists microfinance institutions all over the world. He also served as Special Advisor to the President of France from 1981 to 1991 and was the founder and first president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (1991 to 1993). He is a columnist for L'Express and has also published forty books including numerous essays on a wide variety of subjects, biographies, novels, children's tales, and plays. Chochana Boukhobza was born in Tunisia in 1959. She worked as a journalist and has published six novels and two children's books and directed a documentary film, Un billet aller-retour, which analyses the relationship of the French Jews with Israel (2005). Her first book, Un été à Jèrusalem (1986) was awarded the Prix Méditerranée. Her other books include Le cri, Les herbes amères, Pour l'amour du père, and Sous les Etoiles. Naïm Kattan was born in Baghdad in 1928 and emigrated to Montreal in 1954. A few months after his arrival in Montreal he founded the Bulletin du Cercle Juif. He has contributed to many newspapers and literary periodicals in Canada, France, Belgium, and other countries and is a frequent commentator on radio and television. He has published thirty five books: novels, short stories, essays, and plays. In 1992, Kattan became an associate professor at the Université du Québec de Montreal. Naïm Kattan has received many honors and awards. In 2004, he was the laureate of Quebec's Athanase David literary prize. Albert Memmi, one of the founding figures of Tunisian literature in French, has lived in France since the 1950s. His novels include La statue de sel (1953), Agar (1955) and Le Pharaon (1988). He is also the author of sociological studies on race and ethnicity in colonial and postcolonial situations, including Portrait du colonisé, précédé du portrait du colonisateur (1957), Le racisme (1982) and Portrait du décolonisé arabo-musulman (2004). Among his books on Jewishness and the Jewish condition: Portrait d'un juif (I 1962, II 1966) and Juifs et Arabes (1974). His autobiography, Le nomade immobile, was published in 2000. Georges Moustaki was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1934. He is a singer and songwriter. His parents were originally from the island of Corfu (Greece) and moved to Egypt. Moustaki left Alexandria for Paris in 1951. Victor Teboul is the editor of the popular Webzine Tolerance.ca® (www.tolerance.ca). His most recent novel, La Lente découverte de l'étrangeté, recounts the brutal departure of Jews from Egypt during the 1956 Suez Crisis. Dr. Teboul teaches literature at a college near Montreal. For more details on his works, please consult his website at http://www.victorteboul.com.

Genetic evidence for the existence of cryptic species in the mesopsammic flatworm Pseudomonocelis ophiocephala (Rhabditophora: Proseriata)

Pseudomonocelis ophiocephala (Schmidt, 1861), a mesopsammic proseriate, is common in a variety of shallow water habitats in the Mediterranean. The genetic relationships between morphologically indistinguishable populations across the Mediterranean were surveyed by means of combined allozyme and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Genetic distances, UPGMA cluster analysis and F-statistics based on 27 allozyme genetic loci and 68 RAPD primer fragments were consistent in showing that the taxon Pseudomonocelis ophiocephala is a complex of sibling species, consisting of four taxonomic units. The four species differ in distribution and habitat: sibling A is widespread in lower intertidal habitats of the Mediterranean, in well-sorted, medium- to coarse-grained sand; siblings B, C and D show a restricted distribution (Corsican–Sardinian region and Elba Island, west and east coast of Greece, respectively) in low-energy marine habitats. Given that the species of the complex are morphologically indistinguishable, the type material is absent, and that there are two siblings in the type locality (Corfu Island, Greece), a neotype is designated for P. ophiocephala. The three further siblings are named; species descriptions are based on non-morphological characters (karyotype, allozymic and RAPD patterns). Distributions and reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships based on allozyme data suggest that both allopatric and ecological speciation have played a role in the evolutionary history of the species complex. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 87, 553–576.

Special Issue: New Horizons in Industry, Business and Education

This special issue of Industry and Higher Education is devoted to a selection of papers, revised and edited for publication, from the Fourth International Conference on ‘New Horizons in Industry, Business and Education’ held on the island of Corfu, Greece, in August 2005. In this introductory paper the author provides an overview of the conference, summarizes the most important presentations, and offers his reflections on the conference outcomes.

Trade and Shipping in Corfu, 1496–1538

Trade and Shipping in Corfu, 1496–1538

Modelling of integrated solid waste management systems in an island

This paper presents a system’s engineering model for the strategic planning of an integrated solid waste management at local level and more specifically in an island with touristic development. The model was developed for the island of Corfu, but it can also be implemented in other touristic islands all over the world. It combines the worth benefit utility analysis (WBU) with the life cycle analysis (LCA), taking into account environmental, financial, technological and social criteria. The model’s implementation in the island of Corfu demonstrates that the most efficient method for the waste disposal in Corfu is the combination of the material sorting at the waste source and the production of compost from the organic fraction.

Monitoring of pesticide residues in olive oil samples: results and remarks between 1999 and 2002

The occurrence of organophosphorus pesticide residues and their metabolites in virgin olive oil samples was investigated. Forty-eight samples of virgin olive oil were collected directly from olive mills at various locations on the island of Corfu (Greece) where the application of insecticides was performed by spraying from the air and/or from the ground during the three harvest periods (1999–2002). Samples for residues analysis were extracted by liquid–liquid partitioning with solvents of different polarity. The target compounds were determined in the final extract by gas chromatography using flame photometric and nitrogen phosphorus detection. In the case of positive samples the findings were confirmed using columns of different polarity or by GC-MS. The most common pesticide residues found were fenthion and its oxidative metabolites. Concentrations of total fenthion in the positive olive oil samples were below the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius maximum residue limit (MRL). Only three samples contained total fenthion residues that exceeded the Codex MRL.

The perception of small and medium sized tourism accommodation providers on the impacts of the tour operators’ power in Eastern Mediterranean

This paper examines the relationship between small and medium sized tourism accommodation enterprises and European tour operators. Leisure “packaged” mass tourism and the Mediterranean basin are the main product and geographical contexts of reference. However, the potential applicability of the outcomes to other similar tourism products and areas is not excluded. Focusing primarily on SMTEs the study draws extensively from secondary research, while it also employs the outcomes of personal interviews of SMTEs’ owners/managers on the Greek island of Corfu. The paper portrays the current status of the co-operation between SMTEs and TOs by illustrating the advantages and the problems faced by SMTEs’ owners/managers when dealing with TOs. Finally, the study concludes by proposing actions and policies that could be incorporated in SMTEs’ strategies in order to strengthen their negotiating position with large tour operating consortiums and ameliorate their evident over-reliance on tourism intermediaries.