15 research outputs found
Συγκριτική επιδημιολογία των λοιμώξεων του ανώτερου αναπνευστικού σε τριτοβάθμιο νοσοκομείο της Ελλάδας, πριν και μετά την εμφάνιση της πανδημίας COVID-19
No full textΕισαγωγή: Ως λοιμώξεις του ανώτερου αναπνευστικού συστήματος ορίζονται οι λοιμώξεις που εντοπίζονται στη ρίνα, τους παραρρίνιους κόλπους, τα ώτα, τον φάρυγγα (ρινοφάρυγγα, στοματοφάρυγγα, υποφάρυγγα) και τον λάρυγγα και περιλαμβάνουν τη ρινίτιδα, τη παραρρινοκολπίτιδα, τη φαρυγγίτιδα, την ωτίτιδα, την επιγλωττίτιδα και την λαρυγγίτιδα. Είναι πολύ συχνές στον πληθυσμό και η μετάδοση τους γίνεται αερογενώς (με βήχα ή πταρμό) αλλά και με την επαφή μολυσμένων επιφανειών. Η αιτιοπαθογένειά τους οφείλεται σε διάφορους παθογόνους μικροοργανισμούς στους οποίους ανήκουν αρκετοί ιοί, βακτήρια, μυκοπλάσματα και χλαμύδια. Οι ασθενείς που πάσχουν από λοίμωξη του ανωτέρου αναπνευστικού συχνά παραπονιούνται για ένα ή και περισσότερα από τα παρακάτω συμπτώματα: φαρυγγαλγία, ρινική συμφόρηση, ρινική καταρροή, κεφαλαλγία, εμπύρετο, βήχα, ωταλγία, προσωπαλγία, μυαλγία, πταρμό, επώδυνη τραχηλική λεμφαδενοπάθεια, ναυτία και βράγχος φωνής. Στα τέλη του έτους 2019 εμφανίσθηκε στην Κίνα το πρώτο κρούσμα μιας πνευμονίας αγνώστου αιτιολογίας που αργότερα ονομάστηκε νόσος Covid-19 και εξελίχθηκε σε πανδημία έως και το έτος 2022. Στην Ελλάδα το πρώτο κρούσμα καταγράφηκε στις 26 Φεβρουαρίου 2020 και έκτοτε λήφθηκαν διάφορα υγειονομικά μέτρα για τον περιορισμό της εξάπλωσής της. Τα μέτρα αυτά αφορούσαν κυρίως στις μετακινήσεις του πληθυσμού και στη χρήση προστατευτικής μάσκας. Συνεπώς έπαιξαν σημαντικό ρόλο στη μετάδοση των λοιμώξεων του ανώτερου αναπνευστικού αλλά και στον αριθμό των ασθενών που επισκέπτονταν τα τμήματα επειγόντων περιστατικών (ΤΕΠ). Μέθοδος και σκοπός: Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία είναι μια μελέτη παρατήρησης η οποία χρησιμοποίησε δεδομένα από ένα τριτοβάθμιο νοσοκομείο της Ελλάδας και συγκεκριμένα δεδομένα ασθενών που επισκέφθηκαν και καταγράφηκαν στο ωτορινολαρυγγολογικό (ΩΡΛ) ΤΕΠ τα έτη 2018, 2019, 2020 και 2021 δηλαδή δύο χρόνια πριν την εμφάνιση της πανδημίας covid-19 και δύο χρόνια αφού εμφανίστηκε. Σκοπός της είναι να μελετήσει κατά πόσο η πανδημία και η λήψη των περιοριστικών μέτρων συνέβαλε στη μεταβολή της συχνότητας των περιστατικών με λοίμωξη ανώτερου αναπνευστικού συστήματος ( εξαιρουμένων των περιπτώσεων λοίμωξης από covid-19) στα ελληνικά νοσοκομεία. Αποτελέσματα: Στην παρούσα μελέτη συμπεριλήφθηκαν 10256 ασθενείς. Πρόκειται για περιστατικά τα οποία προσήλθαν στο ΩΡΛ τμήμα επειγόντων περιστατικών τα έτη 2018, 2019, 2020 και 2021 από τον Φεβρουάριο έως και τον Μάιο μήνα του κάθε έτους. Από το σύνολο των ασθενών, 53% ήταν άνδρες και 47% γυναίκες. Η διάμεση ηλικία του πληθυσμού ήταν 43 έτη (εύρος 1-101). Μελετήθηκε η συχνότητα των λοιμώξεων του ανωτέρου αναπνευστικού τα τέσσερα αυτά έτη στο σύνολο του πληθυσμού αλλά και ανά ηλικιακή ομάδα και ανά φύλο. Τα αποτελέσματα της μελέτης έδειξαν μείωση της συχνότητας των λοιμώξεων του ανώτερου αναπνευστικού κυρίως μετά τον μήνα Μάρτιο τα έτη 2020 και 2021 συγκριτικά με το έτος 2018 (OR=0,72 και OR=0,42 αντίστοιχα p value<0.001), τόσο στο σύνολο του δείγματος της μελέτης όσο και ανά ηλικιακή ομάδα ( <40 ετών, 40- 65 ετών, >65 ετών) και φύλο. Επιπλέον, μελετήθηκε η συχνότητα των περιστατικών με σύμπτωμα ζάλης τις ίδιες χρονικές περιόδους των ίδιων ετών και δεν παρατηρήθηκε σημαντικά μεγάλη διαφορά στη συχνότητα αυτή μεταξύ των ετών. Συμπεράσματα: Σε μελέτη ασθενών από το τμήμα επειγόντων περιστατικών νοσοκομείου που υποδέχεται τα περισσότερα περιστατικά ετησίως σε σχέση με τα υπόλοιπα ελληνικά νοσοκομεία, παρατηρήθηκε σημαντική μείωση της συχνότητας των λοιμώξεων του ανώτερου αναπνευστικού που δεν σχετίζονταν με τον ιό SARS-CoV-2 και ανιχνεύθηκαν κατά τη διάρκεια της πανδημίας COVID-19 (2020-2021) σε σχέση με το έτος 2018. Η συνήθης εποχική έξαρση αυτών των λοιμώξεων του ανώτερου αναπνευστικού συστήματος ουσιαστικά απουσίαζε κατά τη διάρκεια της περιόδου 2020-2021. Αποδίδουμε την μεταβολή αυτή στα αυστηρά περιοριστικά μέτρα που λήφθηκαν κατά τη διάρκεια της πανδημίας όπως η χρήση προστατευτικής μάσκας, ο περιορισμός των συναναστροφών και των μετακινήσεων, το σχολαστικό πλύσιμο των χεριών κτλ. Αντίθετα, τα περιστατικά ζάλης που διαγνώστηκαν κατά τη διάρκεια της πανδημίας φαίνεται να παρέμειναν σχεδόν αμετάβλητα και να μην επηρεάστηκαν από τα μη φαρμακευτικά προστατευτικά μέτρα κατά τα έτη 2020 και 2021.Introduction: Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) are infections found on nose, paranasal sinuses, ears, pharynx (nasopharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx) and larynx and cause rhinitis, paranasal sinusitis, pharyngitis, otitis, epiglottitis and laryngitis. They are very common at the community and their transmission happens through air or through contact with polluted surfaces. There are plenty of microorganisms that cause URTI but the most common are viruses, bacteria, mycoplasmas and chlamydia. Patients that have URTIs are often complaining about these symptoms: sore throat, rhinus congestion, headache, fever, cough, sneezing, voice hoarseness, nausea, pain at ears and face. In December 2019 a new virus, called later Sars-covid-19 caused the pandemic Covid-19 that lasted till late 2022. In Greece, the first case was recorded on February 26, 2020, and since then various health measures have been taken to limit its spread. These measures mainly concerned the movement of the population and the use of a protective mask. They therefore played an important role in the transmission of upper respiratory infections and in the number of patients visiting emergency departments (EDs) Methods and aim: This thesis is an observational study which used data from a tertiary hospital in Greece and specific data of patients who visited and were recorded in the otolaryngology ED in the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, i.e. two years before the onset of the covid-19 pandemic and two years after it appeared. Its purpose is to study whether the pandemic and the adoption of restrictive measures contributed to the change in the frequency of upper respiratory infections in Greek hospitals Results: 10256 patients were included in the present study. These are cases that came to the ENT emergency department in the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 from February to May of each year. Of all patients, 53% were men and 47% were women. The median age of the population was 43 years (range 1-101). We studied the relative frequency of upper respiratory tract infections in these four years in the entire population as well as by age group and by gender. The results of the study showed a decrease in the frequency of upper respiratory infections mainly after the month of March in the years 2020 and 2021 compared to year 2018 (OR=0,72 and OR=0,42 respectively, p value<0,001) both in the overall sample of the study and by age group ( <40 years , 40-65 years, >65 years) and gender. In addition, the frequency of dizziness incidents was studied during the same time periods of the same years, and no important difference was observed in this frequency between the years. Conclusions: In this case series study from the emergency department of the hospital that receives the most cases annually of all other Greek hospitals, we demonstrate a significant change in the frequency of respiratory tract infections that were not related to SARS-coV-2 virus and detected during the COVID- 19 pandemic (2020-2021) compared to year 2018. The usual seasonal outbreak of upper respiratory tract infections was virtually absent during the 2020-2021 season.. We attribute this change to the strict restrictive measures taken during the pandemic such as the use of a protective mask, the restriction of socializing and movement, thorough hand washing, etc. In contrast, the cases of dizziness diagnosed during the pandemic seem to remained unchanged and were not affected by the non-pharmaceutical measures taken in the years 2020 and 2021
Addendum: Oil-In-Water microemulsions as hosts for benzothiophene-based cytotoxic compounds: An effective combination. [Biomimetics, 3, 13, (2018)] DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics3040033
No full textIt was brought to our attention that due to recent changes in the regulation that governs the Ph.D. program at the University of Thessaly, it is mandatory to state the academic institution the Ph.D. student is affiliated with. This was omitted in [1], and we would like to add the following information to the affiliation line for the first author, Ioanna Theochari: "Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece". Line numbers within the affiliation section have been rearranged and changed as follows: Ioanna Theochari 1, Vassiliki Papadimitriou 1, Demetris Papahatjis 1, Nikos Assimomytis 1, Efthimia Pappou 1, Harris Pratsinis 2, Aristotelis Xenakis 1 and Vasiliki Pletsa 1,* 1 Institute of Biology, Medicinal Chemistry & Biotechnology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece; [email protected] (I.T.); [email protected] (V.Pa.); [email protected] (D.P.); [email protected] (N.A.); [email protected] (E.P.); [email protected] (A.X.) 2 Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Ageing, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos", 11635 Athens, Greece; [email protected] * Correspodence: [email protected]; Tel.: +302-107-273-7541 has been corrected to Ioanna Theochari 1,2, Vassiliki Papadimitriou 1, Demetris Papahatjis 1, Nikos Assimomytis 1, Efthimia Pappou 1, Harris Pratsinis 3, Aristotelis Xenakis 1 and Vasiliki Pletsa 1,* 1 Institute of Biology, Medicinal Chemistry & Biotechnology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece; [email protected] (I.T.); [email protected] (V.Pa.); [email protected] (D.P.); [email protected] (N.A.); [email protected] (E.P.); [email protected] (A.X.) 2 Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece 3 Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Ageing, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos", 11635 Athens, Greece; [email protected] * Correspodence: [email protected]; Tel.: +302-107-273-7541. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. The change does not affect the scientific results. The manuscript will be updated and the original will remain online on the article website, with a reference to this addendum. © 2018 by the authors
Allotment gardens as a challenge for an urban designer
No full textIrrespective of their specific form or of the way they are managed, urban allotment gardens and other urban gardens are important types of urban green spaces, able to influence, to contribute overall quality of cities. Particularly if part of broader green infrastructures, UAG may integrate positively within the complex inner metabolism of metropolitan areas. In particular the 10th chapter of the book, in which the author contributed actively, focus on the challenges and characteristics of urban agriculture practices in the city and the role of urban design and planning disciplines in order to ensure a better socio-spatial development
Λογοτεχνική Μετάφραση και Ηλεκτρονικά Σώματα Κειμένων: Η απόδοση της λαϊκής αργκό σε τρεις ελληνικές μεταφράσεις του μυθιστορήματος L’Assommoir του Émile Zola
No full textIn this article we propose to study the different ways in which three Greek translators have dealt with popular slang in Émile Zola's L'Assommoir. More precisely, using tools and methods used in CALT (Computer Assisted Literary Translation) and Translational Stylistics, we will examine the translation of popular slang drawn from the semantic field of alcohol, in the speech of three characters of the novel (Coupeau, Mes-Bottes, Bec-Salé/ Boit-Sans-Soif). Starting from the observation that popular slang is not only a central stylistic element of the novel but also an essential aspect of the very identity of the text, closely linked to the literary techniques practiced by the author, we try to identify the main techniques adopted to translate popular slang into Greek. Our main aim is to distinguish the strategies of the translators (in terms of their position on the domestication-exoticization continuum proposed by Venuti) and to put the translations in perspective with respect to the socio-cultural conditions and the initial norms (appropriateness or acceptability according to Toury) that govern the act of translating in each given period
Venous Thromboembolism Following Major Abdominal Surgery for Cancer: A Guide for the Surgical Intern.
No full textBACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a term used to compositely describe deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Overall, the incidence of VTE after major abdominal and pelvic surgery has been reported to be between 10% and 40%. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incidence of post-operative VTE in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery for cancer, to identify risk factors associated with VTE, and to assess available thromboprophylaxis tools. METHODS: A Medline and Cochrane literature search from database inception until February 1st, 2021 was performed according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. RESULTS: Thirty-one studies met our eligibility criteria and were included in the current review. In total, 435,492 patients were identified and the overall incidence of VTE was 2.19%( 95% CI: 1.82-2.38). Τhe following risk factors were associated with VTE: smoking, advanced age (>70 years), a history of diabetes mellitus, American Society of Anesthesiologists’ (ASA) classification of Physical Health class III or IV, a history of cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, a history of DVT or PE, elevated plasma fibrinogen level, c-reactive protein (CRP) level, cancer stage III or IV, postoperative acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), prolonged postoperative hospital stay, previous steroid use, history of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), heart failure and neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: VTE remains an important complication after major abdominal surgery for cancer and seems to increase mortality rates
Myocardial infarction after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer: A systematic review
No full textBackground Esophagectomy remains the most effective treatment modality for esophageal cancer. However, esophagectomy is associated with several postoperative complications, including anastomotic leak, new-onset atrial fibrillation, pneumonia, venous thromboembolism events, and myocardial infarction. In this systematic review of the literature, we aim to assess the incidence of myocardial infarction in patients with esophageal cancer undergoing esophagectomy and to identify possible risk factors for myocardial infarction. Methods A systematic search of the English-language medical literature was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (end of search: September 30, 2020). Results A total of 14 studies met our inclusion criteria for the current review. Overall, 3673 patients who underwent esophagectomy were identified. Among them, 70 (1.9%) developed myocardial infarction postoperatively. The following risk factors were reported in the individual studies: age, previous myocardial infarction, ventricular arrythmia, smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, thromboembolic disease, hypertension, and heart failure. Conclusion Myocardial infarction remains an important complication after esophageal surgery. Further investigations are needed to better understand the risk factors and optimum management for post-esophagectomy myocardial infarction
Gastrectomy for Cancer: A 15-Year Analysis of Real-World Data from the University of Athens
No full textBackground and Objectives: Encouraging data have been reported from referral centers following gastrointestinal cancer surgery. Our goal was to retrospectively review patient outcomes following gastrectomy for gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer at a high-volume unit of the University of Athens. Methods: The enrollment period was from June 2003 to September 2018. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazard models were constructed to identify variables independently associated with time-to-event outcomes. Results: A total of 205 patients were analyzed. R0 resection was achieved in 183 (89.3%) patients and was more likely to occur following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.008). Recurrence developed in 46.6% of our cohort and the median disease-free survival was 31.2 months. On multivariate analysis, only staging (HR = 2.15; 95% CI: 1.06–4.36) was independently associated with increased risk of recurrence. All-cause mortality was 57.2% and the median time of death was 40.9 months. On multivariate regression, staging (HR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.11–1.65) and recurrence (HR: 2.87; 95% CI: 1.32–6.22) predicted inferior prognosis. Conclusions: Gastrectomy at the University of Athens has yielded favorable outcomes for patients with GEJ cancer
Combining BRAF/MEK Inhibitors with Immunotherapy in the Treatment of Metastatic Melanoma
No full textThe management and prognosis of BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma have changed drastically following the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors and molecularly targeted agents. These treatment options present different mechanisms of action and toxicities but also totally distinct kinetics of their response, including a “relatively” short-lasting benefit in subsets of patients treated with BRAF/MEK inhibitors and a lower response rate in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. BRAF/MEK inhibitors, when administered prior to or concurrently with immune checkpoint inhibitors, at least transiently alter some immunosuppressive parameters of the tumor microenvironment and theoretically improve sensitivity to immunotherapy. Preclinical data from mouse models with oncogene-addicted melanoma confirmed this beneficial immune/targeted synergy and supported the clinical testing of combinations of BRAF/MEK inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors to improve the activity of upfront anti-melanoma therapies. The first positive phase III results were published in 2020, and triggered the discussion about the benefits, the limitations, as well as the possible implications of combining or sequencing targeted therapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors in everyday practice. Beginning from the interplay of immune/targeted agents within the melanoma microenvironment, this review outlines available information from the retrospective experience up to the late-stage randomized evidence on combinatorial treatments. Many clinical trials are currently underway exploring open questions about optimal timing, new immune biomarkers, and eligible patient subsets for these immune/targeted regimens. Awaiting these results, decision making in the first-line setting for BRAF-mutant melanoma is still guided by the patients’ characteristics and the biological aspects of melanoma. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG part of Springer Nature
Newer‐generation antihistamines and the risk of adverse events in children: A systematic review
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