Thomais Vlachogianni

MIO-ECSDE

Marine litter related information in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, as well as in the Mediterranean, remains limited, inconsistent and fragmented, although it is widely considered that the Mediterranean is one of the most affected seas by marine litter worldwide. Effective measures to tackle marine litter in the region are seriously hampered by the...

This poster provides an overview of the main outcomes and tools developed in the European Project MARLISCO (2012-2015). A legacy of educational materials remain available in several languages.

There is extensive experimental evidence that oxidative damage permanently occurs to lipids of cellular membranes, proteins, and DNA. In nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, 8-hydroxy-2' -deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) or 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2' -deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) is one of the predominant forms of free radical-induced oxidative lesions, and has therefore b...

The potential of oxygen free radicals and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) to damage tissues and cellular components, called oxidative stress, in biological systems has become a topic of significant interest for environmental toxicology studies. The balance between prooxidant endogenous and exogenous factors (i.e., environmental pollutants) and...

Marine litter is a global challenge and society plays an important role via lifestyles and behaviour, including policy support. We analysed public perceptions of marine litter and contributing factors, using data from 1133 respondents across 16 European countries. People reported high levels of concern about marine litter, and the vast majority (95...

Curbing the growing threat of marine litter requires reliable, coherent and fit-for-purpose data. The present study reports the findings of beach macrolitter surveys carried out in seventeen sites along the coastline of Algeria. The median litter density recorded along these sites amounted to 578 items per 100 m of coastline (range: 317–2684 items/...

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Technical Group on Marine Litter developed the Guidance for the Monitoring of Marine Litter in European seas in 2013 to enable EU Member States to launch monitoring programmes for MSFD Descriptor 10: no harm caused by marine litter. The maturity of methodological protocols for marine litter monitoring...

Even in pristine and remote environments of the Mediterranean, marine litter is building up threatening habitats and species and inhibiting sustainable development. The present study reports the findings of beach litter surveys carried out by 250 local community members in nine sites along the coastline of the Asterousia Biosphere Reserve, situated...

This SOS-ZEROPOL2030 document, entitled ‘The EU Zero Pollution Ambition’, provides an overview of the policy documents and legislation that make up the environmental pollution policy framework in Europe. It aims to create an understanding of the current environmental status and efforts made by Member States to assess the environmental status of Eur...

Abstract. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC) requires that European threshold values (TVs) for marine litter (descriptor 10) be defined. The MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter (TG ML) decided to focus on coastline litter (Criterion 1), often referred to as beach litter, in a first step, since for this criterion a monitori...

Beach litter surveys represent a fundamental tool for monitoring marine litter pollution in the marine environment and have been used worldwide to quantify the amounts of litter deposited on the coastline and detect its sources. This study investigated the abundance, composition and sources of marine litter stranded on five beaches located at the b...

The main objective of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) was to achieve a Good Environmental Status (GES) in European waters by 2020, according to 11 descriptors. Descriptor 10 is related to marine litter and envisages that the properties and quantities of marine litter are at a level that does not cause harm to the coastal and marine e...

Guidance developed within the Common Implementation Strategy for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter

Plastic pollution is a global problem and reliable, coherent and comparable data are essential for targeted mitigation strategies. Throughout the years Mediterranean NGOs have significantly contributed to providing data and information on the temporal and spatial distribution of marine litter found stranded on beaches; thus participatory-science ca...

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the areas in the world most affected by marine litter. The main aim of this paper is to reflect on the key outcomes of the special session entitled ‘Harmful effects of plastic litter and mitigation strategies in the Mediterranean Sea’, which was organized within the framework of the SETAC Europe 28th Annual Meeting....

Wanting to dig deeper into the amounts, types and sources of marine litter deposited on the beaches of coastal and marine protected areas in the Mediterranean, the Interreg Med ACT4LITTER project set up a participatory-science campaign entitled ACT4LITTER Marine Litter Watch Month and assessed beach litter in a large number of locations in a consis...

Marine litter is a threat to marine life and an economic burden for coastal communities, but efforts to address the issue are hampered by the lack of data for many countries. We performed the first harmonized assessment of seafloor litter (trawl and visual surveys) in six countries of the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion. Seafloor litter showed an uneve...

The abundance, composition and sources of marine litter were determined on beaches located in the seven countries of the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion,. A total of 70,581 marine litter items were classified and recorded through one-year long surveys carried out in 31 sites. The average litter density of 0.67 items/m 2 found within this study is consi...

Marine litter related information in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, as well as in the Mediterranean, remains limited, inconsistent and fragmented, although it is widely considered that the Mediterranean is one of the most affected seas by marine litter worldwide. Effective measures to tackle marine litter in the region are seriously hampered by the...

Marine litter is a global problem causing harm to marine wildlife, coastal communities and maritime activities. It also embodies an emerging concern for human health and safety. The reduction of marine litter pollution poses a complex challenge for humankind, requiring adjustments in human behaviour as well as in the different phases of the lifecyc...

ABSTRACT. Scientists in the last decades have precisely manipulated chemical atoms and molecules for fabrication of macroscale products with a wide range of applications. Nanotechnology emerged as one of the promising technologies in the 21st century. Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) provided a wide range of applications for pharmaceutical and biome...

In December 2014 a systematic survey of cetaceans started in the Adriatic and Ionian Sea, employing ferry as platform of observation simultaneously with maritime traffic and floating marine macro litter monitoring. During the first monitoring season (December 2014-November 2015) 9000 km (190 hours) of effort were conducted in good weather condition...

This publication is a tribute to the extent and diversity concrete NGO actions in promoting integrated water resources management and freshwater biodiversity conservation in the Mediterranean. This publication showcases the added value and particular strengths that the NGO community brings to environmental governance, such as leadership, creativity...

Marine litter is a global concern with a range of problems associated to it, as recognised by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Marine litter can impact organisms at different levels of biological organization and habitats in a number of ways namely: through entanglement in, or ingestion of, litter items by individuals, resulting in d...

Summary Anticancer therapeutic methods and drugs as well as cancer prevention have become in the last decades important tasks of national and international medical systems. These efforts advanced successful medical methods and effective antitumour drugs in curing most of the types of malignant neoplasms and prolonged survival rates among cancer pat...

This publication has been developed to complement the e-learning course on the Public Participation Process in the Mediterranean region that has been developed under the MedPartnership project. The e-learning course can be found at: www.envirolearning.net/themedpartnership. General objectives of this Public Participation handbook: To provide an o...

Due to the basin shape and the high demographic pressure the Adriatic Sea can be considered at risk for the amount of litter that enters the marine waters both from land and sea activities. For this reason, a year-long monitoring action on the abundance, composition and distribution of macro-litter (items > than 20cm) floating in high sea waters be...

The natural wealth and legacy of the Drin River Basin: inspiring our collective actions Pasuria natyrore dhe trashëgimia Drin frymëzon veprimet tona kolektive Ο φυσικός πλούτος και η κληρονομιά του Δρίνου εμπνέει τις συλλογικές μας δράσεις Природното богатство и наследство на Дрим ги инспирира нашите заеднички активности Prirodna bogatstva i naslij...

Monitoring is an intermittent (regular or irregular) series of observations in time, carried out to show the extent of compliance with a formulated standard or degree of deviation from an expected norm [1]. In line with this definition, marine litter monitoring is undertaken to assess whether a desired state of the marine environment, in terms of o...

ABSTRACT The biological processes of ageing, the longevity of mutlicellular organisms, and the role of genome have been the focus of scientific research for many decades. Various theories of ageing have been suggested and supported by scientific evidence which can be basically subdivided into two directions: damage-based theories and programmed the...

Pasuria natyrore dhe trashëgimia Drin frymëzon veprimet tona kolektive Ο φυσικός πλούτος και η κληρονομιά του Δρίνου εμπνέει τις συλλογικές μας δράσεις Природното богатство и наследство на Дрим ги инспирира нашите заеднички активности Prirodna bogatstva i naslijedje Drima inspirise nase kolektivne akcije

Microplastics pollution is an emerging threat, widespread and ubiquitous throughout the marine environment.[1] Microplastics are part of the overall plastic marine litter problem, generated by our plastic-addicted societies and the mismanagement of plastics and plastic waste. Whilst the societal benefits of plastics are undoubtedly remarkable and f...

This report represents the result of the scientific and technical review of Commission Decision 2010/477/EU in relation to Descriptor 10. The review has been carried out by the EC JRC together with the MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter, and has considered contributions from the GES Working Group in accordance with the roadmap set out in the...

The educational material “Know Feel Act! To Stop Marine Litter” has been prepared to inform, sensitise and enable European teachers and students to take action to tackle the problem of litter in our seas and coasts. It is a joint product of the MARLISCO partnership and within the project duration (2012-2015) it is expected to be translated and appl...

ABSTRACT Air pollution in big cities represent a substantial health threat for premature morbidity and mortality. Epidemiologists evaluating health effects of PM air pollution concluded that respirable particles (with aerodynamic diameter 10 and 2.5 μm) are important contributing factors to increasing respiratory diseases and premature mortality. A...

Marine litter is a complex and multi-dimensional problem, where responsibilities are oft en unclear and the burden of costs unequally divided within society. Although there are major economic and environmental impacts there is no simple solution in sight. In the last few years, the topic has gained major attention and momentum at European level. Ma...

ABSTRACT Medicinal active compounds, antibiotics and disinfectants are used in various medical and therapeutic applications in hospital and at home. Eventually, pharmaceuticals are disposed in thousands of tones every year in drains and eventually reach the aquatic environment causing substantial toxicological problems in aquatic organisms. The oc...

The present document is the Executive Summary of the “Guidance on Monitoring of Marine Litter in European Seas”, the output of the work of the TSG-ML between 2012 and 2013. The objective of such Guidance is to provide MS with recommendations and information needed to commence the monitoring of the MSFD Descriptor 10. It describes specific protocols...

Over the past few decades scientific evidence is increasingly suggesting that many chemicals polluting the environment can interfere with the endocrine system of humans and wildlife and cause detrimental health effects. The high incidence and increasing trends of many endocrine-related disorders in humans and the observations of endocrine-related e...

Traditional medicine is “health practices that were developed for centuries, incorporating knowledge, skills and practices based on beliefs and experiences of indigenous people from different cultures”. Indigenous medicine used plant, animal and mineral-based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises to treat, diagnose and pr...

Nanotechnology and its applications has emerged as one of the central new technologies in the 21st century. In the last decade thousand of scientists and technologists are employed in this area, a great number of patents and scientific publications have been published A large number of new nanotechnology products have flooded the market of the deve...

Pharmacveutical industry has used Green chemistry principles to advance their synthetic pharmaceutical processes, reduction in energy use and replacement of toxic solvents. This short review focused on recent advances on Green Chemistry principles and new trends in the pharmaceutical industry for medicinal active products. This is a review in Greek...

Nanotechnology and applications in consumer and advanced technological products emerged as one of the central new technologies in the 21st century. Thousand of scientists and technologists are employed in this area and a great number of technological advanced nanoproducts have flooded the market of the developed world. Future prospects in different...

Abstract: Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are a diverse group of materials finding increasing use in manufacturing, computing, food, pharmaceuticals, and biomedicine due to their very small size and exceptional properties. Health and safety concerns for ENMs have forced regulatory agencies to consider preventive measures and regulations for workers...

Abstract The present review describes the role of different energy regimes throughout the human history and their environmental impact. The appearance of Homo sapiens and the development of primitive human civilization can be narrated by different energy regimes throughout the centuries. Getting the energy that humans needed for their needs affecte...

The MSFD Technical Subgroup on Marine Litter was tasked to deliver guidance so that European Member States could initiate programmes for monitoring of Descriptor 10 of the MSFD. The present document provides the recommendations and information needed to commence the monitoring required for marine litter, including methodological protocols and categ...

Marine Litter – any human-made item that accidentally or purposely reaches the coastal or marine environment – but in particular its plastic fraction, is now globally recognised as an emerging issue of concern, that leads to major economic costs to maritime and coastal sectors, ecologic impacts and possibly other not yet fully-understood risks. Mar...

Urban air pollution has been one of the most important pollution problem for many decades. Airborne particulate matter (PM) from combustion sources is considered the most important air pollutants for adverse health effects to humans, especially for acute and chronic respiratory diseases and lung cancer. Airborne particles contain a number of toxic...

In the last decades researchers of natural products chemistry focused their research in a wide variety of bioactive compounds from marine species. Marine sponges (Porifera) have been ranked very high in the priority of natural product research because the discovery of a wide range of bioactive chemical components and secondary metabolites with pote...

Reactive oxygen or nitrogen species (ROS, RNS) and oxidative stress in the respiratory system increase the production of mediators of pulmonary inflammation and initiate or promote mechanisms of carcinogenesis. The lungs are exposed daily to oxidants generated either endogenously or exogenously (air pollutants, cigarette smoke, etc.). Cells in aero...

Abstract The present review describes the role of different energy regimes throughout the human history and their environmental impact. The appearance of Homo sapiens and the development of primitive human civilization can be narrated by different energy regimes throughout the centuries. Getting the energy that humans needed for their needs affecte...

The present review describes the role of different energy regimes throughout the human history and their environmental impact. The appearance of Homo sapiens and the development of primitive human civilization can be narrated by different energy regimes throughout the centuries. Getting the energy that humans needed for their needs affected directl...

The invasion by alien species of new regions and territories is a phenomenon of paramount and global importance. It has been estimated that during the last four centuries invasive alien species have contributed to nearly 40% of animal extinctions with known causes. The unique combination of geological, geophysical and climatic factors in the Medite...

Abstract The present review describes the role of different energy regimes throughout the human history and their environmental impact. The appearance of Homo sapiens and the development of primitive human civilization can be narrated by different energy regimes throughout the centuries. Getting the energy that humans needed for their needs affecte...

Summary Pollution from Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in the aquatic environment is recognized as an important “emerging” environmental problem. Scientists have developed in the last decade an extensive area of research for analysis, chemical identification, and quantitative measurements in the aquatic environment of PPCPs. A...

Plant polyphenols are considered among the most abundant phytochemicals that are present in human diets, and their regular consumption has been associated with reduced risk of a number of chronic diseases, including cancer, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders. In the past decades, plant polyphenols have drawn increasing scientific at...

This is a review paper with the latest data and scientific experiments on plant polyphenols with anticancer activity. In vitro and in vivo studies, epidemiological research and clinical studies for the use as antitumour drugs

Nanotechnologies are considered to be the new generation of innovative technologies. There are expectations that nanotechnologies will be among the key emerging technologies of the 21st century. As such, applications of “nano” may be discovered at many unexpected places. There are claims that nanotechnologies have the potential to develop new innov...

ABSTRACT : Airborne Particulate Matter (PM) is considered in the last decade as the most important pollutant of air pollution in urban areas. Small size PM with aerodynamic diameter of 10 and 2.5 μm (PM10, PM2.5) can enter in the respiratory system and trapped inside the alveoli of the lungs. Because of its carbonaceous constitution and its porous...

Summary “Green or Sustainable Chemistry” and “Green Engineering” are now universally accepted as terms to describe the movement towards more environmentally acceptable chemical processes and industrial products. In the last decade the most important chemical industries have been influenced by Green Chemistry and Green Engineering principles. The c...

Τίτλος: Πράσινη Χημεία και Πράσινη Τεχνολογία. Από την Θεωρία στην Πράξη για την Προστασία του Περιβάλλοντος και την Αειφόρο Ανάπτυξη. Συγγραφείς: Αθανάσιος Βαλαβανίδης, Θωμαΐς Βλαχογιάννη Περιεχόμενο: Πράσινη Χημεία και Πράσινη Τεχνολογία (Μηχανική). Ιστορική Εξέλιξη. Πράσινη Χημεία και Πράσινη Τεχνολογία για την Αειφόρο Ανάπτυξη. Βασικές Αρχές κα...

The paper explains the content, structure, activities and contribution of the capacity building component of the Horizon 2020 Initiative, a major undertaking supported by the EU Neighbourhood policy instrument. The Mediterranean environment is one of the richest and at the same time most vulnerable in the world. A staggering 80% of its pollution co...

Marine litter (marine waste, garbage or debris), is every type of man‐made solid waste which deliberately or accidentally pollutes rivers, lakes, seas and coastlines. Marine litter is found in all the world’s oceans and seas, even in remote areas. Marine solid waste can float on the sea surface or sink on the seafloor and some can be washed on sea...

Theories were proposed through the years for the reasons of ageing in aerobic biological systems. Some of these theories lost favor because of lack of scientific support but other remained as potential avenues of biogerontological research. In the 1950s Denham Harman announced his seminal proposal that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are an important...

Green Chemistry and Green Engineering is the "New Philosophy" in research, development and manufacturing for new products. The golas are to use effieciently natural resources and energy, to reduce pollution and to produce products with green credentials. Sustainable development is the main aim for the centuries to come and the new generations of hu...

ABSTRACT Diet is considered according to numerous studies as the most important factor related to human morbidity and mortality. In the last decades a series of scientific research projects showed the type of died and several constituents of foods to be extremely beneficial to human health. Numerous epidemiological, clinical, chemical and biologica...

ABSTRACT: The basic principles of Green Chemistry cover a wide range of issues for Organic Synthesis of chemical compounds: design of organic synthesis processes to maximize prevention of waste, atom economy, the use of less hazardous chemicals and safer or environmentally benign solvents, renewable raw materials, energy efficiency and catalysis. A...

Triggered by the requirements of new environmental laws, ecosystem management, protection of ecosystem services and risk-based management are approaches appropriate for environmental protection and conservation of natural resources. Water management strategies and river basins are considered by scientists to be very important for the future of fres...

Abstract It has been recognized that Chemistry is a scientific area which occupies a central position in solving the fundamental problems of environmental pollution and effects on human health. Green Chemistry has been proposed as a new approach and an alternative to common practices and processes in the last decades in chemical research and chemic...

Abstract A comprehensive state of the Greek environment in the last decade is presented in this review as well as the most important and urgent environmental issues. Greece's major efforts in the last decades to achieve economic convergence with the other European Union countries and material prosperity for its citizens, resulted in the neglect of...

he past 30 years there have been remarkable discoveries regarding the prebiotic conditions of primitive life on planet earth, after its first years of creation by interstellar dust at high temperatures. Water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane and iron and a few other simple inorganic and organic compounds played a leading role in the formation and e...

Ambient airborne particulate matter (PM) is considered as the most important pollutant for adverse health effects in the human respiratory system. PM is known to contain a large number of toxic and carcinogenic substances which in the lung’s alveoli cause oxidative stress, inflammation and cytotoxic damage leading to malignant neoplasms. Studies in...