Introduction: Obesity is a current public health concern. Higher body weight is influenced by genetic and environmental parameters, and their interplay and is associated with a greater risk for several chronic diseases. Breastfeeding has been suggested as a preventive measure against obesity, which can further reduce long-term negative health outcomes for both women and children. Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of breastfeeding on maternal and childhood overweight and obesity. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 2515 healthy mothers and their children, aged 2–5 years, enrolled from nine different Greek rural and urban regions. Validated, standardized questionnaires were administrated that included anthropometric indices, socio-demographic characteristics of mothers and children, as well as breastfeeding practices. Results: Overall, 68% of participated women exclusively breastfed their children for at least 4 months. Mothers that exclusively breastfed showed a significantly lower prevalence of overweight and obesity after 2–5 years from delivery (p < 0.0001). Children that had exclusively been breastfed showed a significantly lower prevalence of overweight and obesity at the age of 2–5 years (p < 0.0001). Using multivariate regression analysis, exclusive breastfeeding for at least 4 months was associated with a two-fold lower risk for maternal and childhood overweight and obesity after 2–5 years from delivery, independent from maternal age, educational and economic status, and smoking habits (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Exclusive breastfeeding for at least 4 months had a positive effect on childhood overweight and obesity, also contributing beneficially to post-natal maternal weight control. The beneficial effects of breastfeeding should be communicated to future and new mothers, while supportive actions for all mothers to initiate and continue breastfeeding their offspring should be implemented.

Hospitals have a responsibility to link human health and the environment, but food waste in hospitals has traditionally been much higher than in other areas of food supply. The cause of this situation has many negative impacts on health, economy, society, and environment. As a result, food waste has become a topic of discussion in hospital food departments. Part of this problem is plate waste, the served food that remains uneaten by patients. Given the magnitude of the food problem, this systematic review is aimed to identify the most common measures used to reduce plate waste in hospitals. PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were comprehensively searched to identify food waste studies worldwide using related search terms. Many approaches have been recommended to increase patient food intake and minimise plate waste in hospitals. Up to date, the four most common include flexible portion sizes, increased food choices through selective menus, additional nutritional support and a better ordering and delivery system. Among them, the most used and effective are flexible portion sizes which may increase the ability of patients choosing their menus and upgrade ordering and delivery system by electronic format. In most studies, plate waste covers the most significant percentage of food waste produced in hospitals, while more than one approach is recommended to minimise it. In this aspect, further well‐design, multicenter, clinical studies are strongly required to highlight and establish novel and effective approaches for improving food waste management in hospitals by reducing plate waste.

Common sage (Salvia spp., with the most common species Salvia officinalis) is an important medicinal and aromatic plant due to its bioactive components, secondary products of its metabolism. These components are mainly phenolics, terpenoids, polyphenols, and flavonoids. Many studies have identified their important role in fighting oxidative stress in cells and organisms, together with their anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory role. There are many methods measuring the antioxidant activity of sage phenolic components, usually based on radical scavenging of free radical species, such as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylydrazyl and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), and determining the absorbance of the reduced product by a photometric assay. In addition, there are several in vitro and in vivo studies determining the protection of sage extracts in cells in culture or animals, respectively, after induction of oxidative stress. In this review, results from the currently available studies that unravel the significant role of sage bioactive compounds, as antioxidant compounds, and the variety of methods used have been critically analyzed and discussed.

Normal human mitotic cells do not proliferate indefinitely in culture but undergo a limited number of divisions and progressively reach a state of irreversible growth arrest, a process termed replicative senescence. Hypoxia is a situation of reduced oxygen concentration that relates to many physiological and pathophysiological conditions. In the current study we investigated the effects of oxygen concentration, in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions, on the proliferative capacity, cell viability, oxidative status, and protein expression of human embryonic diploid fibroblasts. Maintenance of WI38 and IMR90 cells in 1.5% or 3% O(2) concentration significantly delayed the appearance of replicative senescence compared to cells grown in 20% O(2), induced the hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha, and resulted in reduced expression levels of the key cell cycle modulators, namely p21 and p16. Moreover, cell exposure to short-term hypoxia affected their response to several cytotoxic agents, whereas adaptation to the hypoxic environment prior to the treatment had no impact on cell viability. These findings clearly identify that oxygen concentration plays a crucial role in regulating cellular life span of normal human cells.

Background: In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized using Banana Peel Extract (BPE), and characterized using UV- Vis absorbance spectroscopy, X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). UV-Vis absorbance spectroscopy showed the characteristic plasmon resonance of AgNPs at 433 nm. The synthesized AgNPs were tested for their antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Methods: Nanoparticle size (between 5 and 9 nm) was measured using AFM, whereas their crystallinity was shown by XRD. FTIR identified the ligands that surround the nanoparticle surface. The synthesis conditions were optimised using Central Composite Design (CCD) under Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Silver nitrate (AgNO3) and BPE concentrations (0.25-2.25 mM, 0.2-1.96 % v/v respectively), incubation period (24-120 h) and pH level (2.3-10.1) were chosen as the four independent factors. The fitting parameters (i.e. the wavelength at peak maximum, the peak area, and the peak width) of a Voigt function of the UV- Vis spectra were chosen as the responses. The antibacterial properties of the AgNPs were tested against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus using the tube dilution test. The synthesized nanoparticles were tested for total phenolic composition (TPC) using the Folin - Ciocalteau method, whereas their radical scavenging activity using the 1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical assay. Results: An optimum combination of all independent factors was identified (BPE concentration 1.7 % v/v, AgNO3 concentration 1.75 mM, incubation period 48 h, pH level 4.3), giving minimum peak wavelength and peak width. The nanoparticles inhibited the growth of E. coli, whereas S. aureus growth was not affected. However, no superiority of AgNPs compared to AgNO3 used for their fabrication (1.75 mM), with respect to antibacterial action, could be here demonstrated. AgNPs were found to present moderate antioxidant activity (44.71± 3.01%), as measured using DPPH assay, while the BPE (used for their fabrication) presented alone (100%) an antioxidant action equal to 86±1%, something expected due to its higher total phenolic content (TPC) compared to that of nanoparticles. Conclusion: Altogether, the results of this study highlight the potential of an eco-friendly method to synthesize nanoparticles and its promising optimization through statistical experimental design. Future research on the potential influence of other synthesis parameters on nanoparticles yield and properties could further promote their useful biological activities towards their successful application in the food industry and other settings.