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Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Epidemiological studies have shown a correlation between diet and incidence of coronary heart disease. The aim of the study is to determine the effect of a traditional Greek Mediterranean diet on platelet aggregation induced by ADP, arachidonic acid (AA), and especially platelet-activating factor (PAF) on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as on healthy volunteers. The patients were randomized into two subgroups, A and B. The lipid extracts from traditional Greek Mediterranean-type meals were tested in in vivo for their ability to reduce PAF- or thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. The meals with the most potent anti-aggregating activity were chosen for the diet of both subgroup A and healthy subjects and consumed for a period of 28 days, whereas subgroup B kept to their regular diet that was followed before entering the study. Platelet-rich plasma was isolated before and after the diet, and the ability of platelets to aggregate under the aggregating factors was tested. One-month consumption of diet resulted in a significant reduction in PAF- and ADP-induced aggregation of platelets in both groups of healthy volunteers (PAF and ADP, P < .05) and subgroup A (PAF, P < .001; ADP, P < .05), whereas the AA-induced aggregation was not affected. No effect was observed in subgroup B, which followed the standard diet. Thus the consumption of a traditional Greek Mediterranean diet even for a short period can reduce platelet activity in patients suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus and in healthy subjects.

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Principal component analysis is integrated with canonical analysis to examine aspects of the competitiveness of two di!erent sectors of the Greek manufacturing, i.e. the food and the beverage industries. Di!erent measures of labour productivity, vertical integration, technological innovation and size of the "rms which are considered as critical factors of industrial competitiveness are used in the application of the principal component analysis. Canonical analysis is then applied to correlate the variables of labour productivity with the other variables. In the case of the food and beverage integrated sector, the results of the principal component analysis pinpoint that there are two main principal components: (a) labour productivity and vertical integration, and (b) technological innovation and size. The "rst factor depicts the internal organizational, structural and production processes changes realized so that the competitiveness of the sector "rms improves, whereas the second factor re#ects the response of the sector to technological and growth trends. The two variables of labour productivity are a!ected by the degree of vertical integration and, at a lesser degree, by a common factor of the size of the "rm and the level of investment for technological innovation.Application of multicriteria methods and multivariate analysis are the two main techniques that have been widely adopted [1}6]. Using multicriteria analysis approaches, the multidimensional character of all organizations can be better re#ected. The rankings obtained by the simultaneous consideration of multiple ratios can give useful information regarding the examined set of measures. However, due to the complexity of the MCA and the subjective selection of weights, its application is not free from problems.Elaborate statistical models have been also developed to forecast the business future, particularly with respect to bankruptcy risk [7,8]. Moreover, multivariate models have been applied to determine industry and corporate performance [9}12]. The main di!erence between multicriteria and multivariate methods is related to the way the various weights are assigned to the relative performance measures. Thus, in a multicriteria method the weights are subjectively determined by the decision maker, whereas in a multivariate method weights are estimated rather objectively by the data set.In recent years, major changes have taken place in technology and production systems, in organizational structures and cultures and in business strategies so that the industrial companies face the new challenges of the international markets and continue to be competitive in an ever-changing economic environment. Consequently, industrial business performance can no longer be assessed or explained by the unique use of "nancial ratios which are based on conventional cost accounting and management reporting systems [13}15].The competitiveness of an industrial "rm or sector depends on products' and services' quality, on customer's satisfaction, on productivity and e!ectiveness...