The currently available genetic tests for identification of the RET proto-oncogene mutation offer the possibility of prospective successful therapy before the hyperplasia of C-cells evolve to Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma. We present our experience regarding the preventive thyroidectomy of family members with history of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma, who were found to be heterozygote for mutant RET proto-oncogene. We have retrospectively reviewed 19 members of 6 families with history of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma, who were heterozygote for mutant RET protooncogene and underwent prophylactic thyroidectomy. All patients included in this series were below twenty years of age. The Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma was asymptomatic and the mutation of RET protooncogene has been also documented pre-operatively in all of them. All patients had undergone total thyroidectomy, while 1 with pheochromocytoma had undergone also left epinephridectomy. Fourteen patients (73.68%) had undergone lymph-nodes resection (in 10 of them the resection was central, in 3 unilateral and in 1 bilateral). Although none of our patients suffered from hyperparathyroidism, 7 parathyroid glands have been also resected from 3 patients, while auto-transfusion has been performed in one. In all patients, preoperative measurement of the calcitonin blood levels before and after stimulation with pentagastrin has been performed.
One of the most significant challenges implementing colloidal magnetic nanoparticles in medicine is the efficient heating of microliter quantities by applying a low frequency alternating magnetic field. The ultimate goal is to accomplish nonsurgically the treatment of millimeter size tumors. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis, characterization, and the in vitro as well as in vivo efficiency of a dextran coated maghemite (gamma-Fe(2)O(3)) ferrofluid with an exceptional response to magnetic heating. The difference to previous synthetic attempts is the high charge of the dextran coating, which according to our study maintains the colloidal stability and good dispersion of the ferrofluid during the magnetic heating stage. Specifically, in vitro 2 mu l of the ferrofluid gives an outstanding temperature rise of 33 degrees C within 10 min, while in vivo treatment, by infusing 150 mu l of the ferrofluid in animal model (rat) glioma tumors, causes an impressive cancer tissue dissolution. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3449089]
Kiryttopoulos P, Agorastos A, Ermidi E, Charalambidis M, Chatziralli I, Kaloutsi V. A rare case of mastocytosis: 910. Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2010;65.
When a magnetically dominated superfast-magnetosonic long/soft gamma-ray burst (GRB) jet leaves the progenitor star, the external pressure support will drop and the jet may enter the regime of ballistic expansion, during which additional magnetic acceleration becomes ineffective. However, recent numerical simulations by Tchekhovskoy et al. have suggested that the transition to this regime is accompanied by a spurt of acceleration. We confirm this finding numerically and attribute the acceleration to a sideways expansion of the jet, associated with a strong magnetosonic rarefaction wave that is driven into the jet when it loses pressure support, which induces a conversion of magnetic energy into kinetic energy of bulk motion. This mechanism, which we dub rarefaction acceleration, can only operate in a relativistic outflow because in this case the total energy can still be dominated by the magnetic component even in the superfast-magnetosonic regime. We analyse this process using the equations of relativistic magnetohydrodynamics and demonstrate that it is more efficient at converting internal energy into kinetic energy when the flow is magnetized than in a purely hydrodynamic outflow, as was found numerically by Mizuno et al. We show that, just as in the case of the magnetic acceleration of a collimating jet that is confined by an external pressure distribution - the collimation-acceleration mechanism - the rarefaction-acceleration process in a magnetized jet is a consequence of the fact that the separation between neighbouring magnetic flux surfaces increases faster than their cylindrical radius. However, whereas in the case of effective collimation-acceleration the product of the jet opening angle and its Lorentz factor does not exceed ~1, the addition of the rarefaction-acceleration mechanism makes it possible for this product to become >>1, in agreement with the inference from late-time panchromatic breaks in the afterglow light curves of long/soft GRBs.
When a magnetically dominated superfast-magnetosonic long/soft gamma-ray burst (GRB) jet leaves the progenitor star, the external pressure support will drop and the jet may enter the regime of ballistic expansion, during which additional magnetic acceleration becomes ineffective. However, recent numerical simulations by Tchekhovskoy et al. have suggested that the transition to this regime is accompanied by a spurt of acceleration. We confirm this finding numerically and attribute the acceleration to a sideways expansion of the jet, associated with a strong magnetosonic rarefaction wave that is driven into the jet when it loses pressure support, which induces a conversion of magnetic energy into kinetic energy of bulk motion. This mechanism, which we dub rarefaction acceleration, can only operate in a relativistic outflow because in this case the total energy can still be dominated by the magnetic component even in the superfast-magnetosonic regime. We analyse this process using the equations of relativistic magnetohydrodynamics and demonstrate that it is more efficient at converting internal energy into kinetic energy when the flow is magnetized than in a purely hydrodynamic outflow, as was found numerically by Mizuno et al. We show that, just as in the case of the magnetic acceleration of a collimating jet that is confined by an external pressure distribution - the collimation-acceleration mechanism - the rarefaction-acceleration process in a magnetized jet is a consequence of the fact that the separation between neighbouring magnetic flux surfaces increases faster than their cylindrical radius. However, whereas in the case of effective collimation-acceleration the product of the jet opening angle and its Lorentz factor does not exceed ~1, the addition of the rarefaction-acceleration mechanism makes it possible for this product to become >>1, in agreement with the inference from late-time panchromatic breaks in the afterglow light curves of long/soft GRBs.
Classical novae (CNe) have recently been reported to represent the major class of supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) in the central area of our neighbouring galaxy M 31. This paper presents a review of results from recent X-ray observations of M 31 with XMM-Newton and Chandra. We carried out a dedicated optical and X-ray monitoring program of CNe and SSSs in the central area of M 31. We discovered the first SSSs in M 31 globular clusters (GCs) and their connection to the very first discovered CN in a M 31 GC. This result may have an impact on the CN rate in GCs. Furthermore, in our optical and X-ray monitoring data we discovered the CN M31N 2007-11a, which shows a very short SSS phase of 29-52 days. Short SSS states (durations ≤ 100 days) of CNe indicate massive white dwarfs (WDs) that are candidate progenitors of supernovae type Ia. In the case of M31N 2007-11a, the optical and X-ray light curves suggest a binary containing a WD with M_WD > 1.0 M\sun. Finally, we present the discovery of the SSS counterpart of the CN M31N 2006-04a k. The X-ray light curve of M31N 2006-04a shows short-time variability, which might indicate an orbital period of about 2 hours. Partly based on observations with \xmmk, an ESA Science Mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and NASA.
Objective: The International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) agreed on revising the existing international recommendations in health informatics/medical informatics education. These should help to establish courses, course tracks or even complete programs in this field, to further develop existing educational activities in the various nations and to support international initiatives concerning education in biomedical and health informatics (BMHI), particularly international activities in educating BMHI specialists and the sharing of courseware. Method: An IMIA task force, nominated in 2006, worked on updating the recommendations' first version. These updates have been broadly discussed and refined by members of IMIA's National Member Societies, IMIA's Academic Institutional Members and by members of IMIA's Working Group on Health and Medical Informatics Education. Results and Conclusions: The IMIA recommendations center on educational needs for health care professionals to acquire knowledge and skills in information processing and information and communication technology. The educational needs are described as a three-dimensional framework. The dimensions are: 1) professionals in health care (e.g. physicians, nurses, BMHI professionals), 2) type of specialization in BMHI (IT users, BMHI specialists), and 3) stage of career progression (bachelor, master, doctorate). Learning outcomes are defined in terms of knowledge and practical skills for health care professionals in their role a) as IT user and b) as BMHI specialist. Recommendations are given for courses/course tracks in BMHI as part of educational programs in medicine, nursing, health care management, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, health record administration, and informatics/computer science as well as for dedicated programs in BMHI (with bachelor, master or doctor degree). To support education in BMHI, IMIA offers to award a certificate for high-quality BMHI education. It supports information exchange on programs and courses in BMHI through its Working Group on Health and Medical Informatics Education.
In order to explain the absence of hysteresis in ferromagnetic p-type (Cd,Mn)Te quantum wells (QWs), spin dynamics was previously investigated by Monte Carlo simulations combining the Metropolis algorithm with the determination of hole eigenfunctions at each Monte Carlo sweep. Short-range antiferromagnetic superexchange interactions between Mn spins—which compete with the hole-mediated long-range ferromagnetic coupling—were found to accelerate magnetization dynamics if the layer containing Mn spins is wider than the vertical range of the hole wave function. Employing this approach it is shown here that appreciate magnitudes of remanence and coercivity can be obtained if Mn ions are introduced to the quantum well in a delta-like fashion.
The aim of the present study was the determination of the levels of osteoprotegerin and soluble RANKL in blood serum and in gingival crevicular fluid relative to the degree of orthodontic root resorption in a rat model. Blood samples and gingival crevicular fluid were collected from fourteen 6-month-old male Wistar rats weighing 350-500 g. A 25-g closed orthodontic coil spring was inserted between each upper right first molar and the upper incisors. After 21 days of loading, both upper first molars (treated and control) were extracted and studied under microcomputed tomography scanning. Statistical analysis demonstrated a positive linear correlation between the initial concentration of RANKL in blood serum and the degree of root resorption. The ratio of the initial concentrations of osteoprotegerin to RANKL in blood serum proved to be an independent prognostic factor of the degree of root resorption. The initial concentration of RANKL in gingival crevicular fluid showed a negative correlation to the initial concentration of RANKL in blood serum and for a finite range of initial concentrations of osteoprotegerin in gingival crevicular fluid, the dental root seemed protected against extreme external root resorption. Finally, the concentration of osteoprotegerin in blood serum decreased significantly in cases of severe root resorption.
We study semi-analytical time-dependent solutions of the relativistic MHD equations for the fields and the fluid emerging from a spherical source. We assume uniform expansion of the field and the fluid and a polytropic relation between the density and the pressure of the fluid. The expansion velocity is small near the base but approaches the speed of light at the light sphere where the flux terminates. We find self-consistent solutions for the density and the magnetic flux. The details of the solution depend on the ratio of the toroidal and the poloidal magnetic field, the ratio of the energy carried by the fluid and the electromagnetic field and the maximum velocity it reaches.
We study semi-analytical time-dependent solutions of the relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations for the fields and the fluid emerging from a spherical source. We assume uniform expansion of the field and the fluid and a polytropic relation between the density and the pressure of the fluid. The expansion velocity is small near the base but approaches the speed of light at the light sphere where the flux terminates. We find self-consistent solutions for the density and the magnetic flux. The details of the solution depend on the ratio of the toroidal and the poloidal magnetic field, the ratio of the energy carried by the fluid and the electromagnetic field and the maximum velocity it reaches.
Dimopoulos MA, Terpos E. Renal insufficiency and failure. Hematology / the Education Program of the American Society of Hematology. American Society of Hematology. Education Program [Internet]. 2010;2010:431 - 436. WebsiteAbstract
Renal impairment is a common complication of multiple myeloma. Chronic renal failure is classified according to glomerular filtration rate as estimated by the MDRD (modification of diet in renal disease) formula, while RIFLE (risk, injury, failure, loss and end-stage renal disease) and AKIN (acute renal injury network) criteria may be used for the definition of the severity of acute renal injury. Novel criteria based on estimated glomerular filtration rate measurements are proposed for the definition of the reversibility of renal impairment. Renal complete response (CRrenal) is defined as sustained (i.e., lasting at least 2 months) improvement of creatinine clearance (CRCL) from under 50 mL/min at baseline to 60 mL/min or above. Renal partial response (PRrenal) is defined as sustained improvement of CRCL from under 15 mL/min at baseline to 30 to 59 mL/min. Renal minor response (MRrenal) is defined as sustained improvement of the baseline CRCL of under 15 mL/min to 15 to 29 mL/min or, if baseline CRCL was 15 to 29 mL/min, improvement to 30 to 59 mL/min. Bortezomib with high-dose dexamethasone is considered the treatment of choice for myeloma patients with renal impairment and improves renal function in most patients. Although there is limited experience with thalidomide, this agent can be administered at the standard dosage to patients with renal failure. Lenalidomide, when administered at reduced doses according to renal function, is effective and can reverse renal impairment in a subset of myeloma patients.
The resolution of 2-amino alcohols protected by urethane-type groups either via porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) hydrolysis of the corresponding racemic acetates or via PPL catalyzed transesterification of racemic alcohols was studied. In both cases, Boc protecting group led to better chemical yields and enantiopurities than Z and Fmoc protecting groups. Furthermore, a simple and efficient method for the synthesis of the medicinally interesting optically pure (R)-2-aminohexadecanol was developed.
We propose a method for calculating average local effective permittivity and permeability tensors for anisotropic photonic crystals through least-squares fits of sets of data points, obtained by rigorous, systematic complex-band-structure, and reflection calculations for all propagation directions, to appropriate analytic expressions. The proposed methodology is applied on a specific example of a tetragonal structure of metallic nanoshells, which is a uniaxial photonic crystal of resonant units. Our results demonstrate the efficiency of the method at low and moderate frequencies and, at the same time, reveal the inability to define local effective constitutive parameters in regions of resonance gaps.
We have used a new ApoA-I transgenic mouse model to identify by global gene expression profiling, candidate genes that affect lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in response to fenofibrate treatment. Multilevel bioinformatical analysis and stringent selection criteria (2-fold change, 0% false discovery rate) identified 267 significantly changed genes involved in several molecular pathways. The fenofibrate-treated group did not have significantly altered levels of hepatic human APOA-I mRNA and plasma ApoA-I compared with the control group. However, the treatment increased cholesterol levels to 1.95-fold mainly due to the increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The observed changes in HDL are associated with the upregulation of genes involved in phospholipid biosynthesis and lipid hydrolysis, as well as phospholipid transfer protein. Significant upregulation was observed in genes involved in fatty acid transport and beta-oxidation, but not in those of fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis, Krebs cycle and gluconeogenesis. Fenofibrate changed significantly the expression of seven transcription factors. The estrogen receptor-related gamma gene was upregulated 2.36-fold and had a significant positive correlation with genes of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and mitochondrial functions, indicating an important role of this orphan receptor in mediating the fenofibrate-induced activation of a specific subset of its target genes.
Dimova I, Hlushchuk R, Makanya A, Djonov V, Theurl M, Schgoer W, Albrecht K, Beer A, Patsch JR, Schratzberger P, et al.Saturday, 17 July 2010. Cardiovascular Research. 2010;87:S45–S88.
A seasonal morphological variability is observed in Emiliania huxleyi var. huxleyi specimens, collected from discrete water samples in the Aegean Sea. Biometric analyses reveal a consistent pattern of increase in the size of coccoliths and coccospheres, including the thickness of the inner tube elements (INT), in winter/spring time low sea surface temperature and moderate productivity samples when compared with summer time high temperature–low productivity samples. The small range of salinity change in the Aegean Sea and the absence of seasonal pattern in nutrient content do not support any association with the observed increase in E. huxleyi coccolith size. A relatively increased [HCO3-] content is observed during spring-time interval related with the increase in the coccolith size, however it remains unclear which parameter of the carbonate system causes the observed effects.
A cross-sectional study was carried out in injecting drug users (IDUs) from Greece to assess the seroprevalence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) and to identify potentially associated risk factors. A total of 288 IDUs were tested for K8.1 antibodies to HHV-8 lytic antigen. Associations between HHV-8 serostatus and potential risk factors were examined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Seroprevalence of HHV-8 was 24.3% (95% CI 19.5-29.7), increasing with age from 19.4% in those aged <30 years to 52.9% in those aged 40 years (P for trend=0.003). No statistically significant associations between HHV-8-positive status and gender, educational level, age at first drug injection, needle sharing, number of imprisonments, complications from drug overdose, HIV and HCV were observed. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, older age (40 vs. <40 years, OR 3.30, 95% CI 1.14-9.56) and report of septicaemia/abscess (yes vs. no, OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.01-3.18) were each independently associated with higher HHV-8 seroprevalence. HHV-8 is highly prevalent in the IDU population in Greece. The independent association between HHV-8 and reported abscess or septicaemia supports the hypothesis that poor hygiene conditions in the setting of drug injection may contribute to HHV-8 transmission.
Many stress-related mental disorders, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder occur more often in women than in men. While social and cultural factors certainly contribute to these differences, neurobiological sex differences seem to also play an important role. A rapidly burgeoning literature from basic and clinical research documents sex differences in brain anatomy, chemistry and function, as well as in stress and drug responses. For example, some clinical studies have reported that women may have a better outcome when treated with selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, in comparison to tricyclic antidepressants. Furthermore, relatively limited basic research has been devoted to developing animal models and consequently describing drug treatments which are sensitive to sex differences. In this MiniReview, we discuss sex differences in behavioural aspects, as well as neurochemical, neurobiological and pharmacological findings that we have collected from several different animal models and tests of depression. These are the forced swim test, the chronic mild stress and the learned helplessness models, the Flinders sensitive line rats, which is a genetic model of depression and the lipopolysaccharide-induced sickness behaviour, a putative inflammatory model of depression. Collectively, our data have shown that in all animal models assayed, serotonergic neurochemical responses were differently affected in males and females, ultimately producing sex-dependent behavioural effects. In addition, Flinders sensitive line rats exhibited a sexually dimorphic response to chronic antidepressant treatment. These sex-differentiated neurochemical and behavioural alterations lend support to a major role of serotonin in the mediation of sexually dimorphic responses.
Many stress-related mental disorders, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder occur more often in women than in men. While social and cultural factors certainly contribute to these differences, neurobiological sex differences seem to also play an important role. A rapidly burgeoning literature from basic and clinical research documents sex differences in brain anatomy, chemistry and function, as well as in stress and drug responses. For example, some clinical studies have reported that women may have a better outcome when treated with selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, in comparison to tricyclic antidepressants. Furthermore, relatively limited basic research has been devoted to developing animal models and consequently describing drug treatments which are sensitive to sex differences. In this MiniReview, we discuss sex differences in behavioural aspects, as well as neurochemical, neurobiological and pharmacological findings that we have collected from several different animal models and tests of depression. These are the forced swim test, the chronic mild stress and the learned helplessness models, the Flinders sensitive line rats, which is a genetic model of depression and the lipopolysaccharide-induced sickness behaviour, a putative inflammatory model of depression. Collectively, our data have shown that in all animal models assayed, serotonergic neurochemical responses were differently affected in males and females, ultimately producing sex-dependent behavioural effects. In addition, Flinders sensitive line rats exhibited a sexually dimorphic response to chronic antidepressant treatment. These sex-differentiated neurochemical and behavioural alterations lend support to a major role of serotonin in the mediation of sexually dimorphic responses.
Καμπερίδου, Ειρήνη (2010). Κοινωνικό φύλο - βιολογικό φύλο: το φύλο στον αθλητισμό και η ιστορικότητα του γυναικείου αποκλεισμού. Γυναίκα και Άθληση, τόμος VII, 2009/2010, σελ. 7-24.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Σκοπός της εργασίας αυτής είναι να διερευνηθούν οι αιτίες που οδήγησαν στη σημερινή υπό-εκπροσώπηση των γυναικών όσον αφορά θέσεις διοικητικής ευθύνης στους αθλητικούς θεσμούς και να προταθούν στρατηγικές ενσωμάτωσης. Στην πρώτη ενότητα αναφέρονται οι θεωρητικές προσεγγίσεις για το φύλο (κοινωνικό φύλο – βιολογικό φύλο). Εξετάζετε το έμφυλο υποκείμενο (gender subject) καθώς και η έμφυλη ταυτότητα ως αποτέλεσμα συσχετισμού της βιολογικής διαφοράς με πολύπλοκες κοινωνικές διεργασίες. Το ενδιαφέρον επικεντρώνετε στην έμφυλη ουδετερότητα, που αφορά στην πρόσβαση και ενσωμάτωση του υποκειμένου επιμέρους κοινωνικές περιοχές όπως της πολιτικής, του αθλητισμού κ.τ.λ. Διαπιστώθηκε ότι ιδιαίτερα στο υψηλό αθλητισμό, σε αντίθεση με άλλες κοινωνικές περιοχές, δεν συναντάται ως δομικό συστατικό μια έμφυλη ουδετερότητα. Στην δεύτερη ενότητα διερευνήθηκαν οι παράγοντες υπό-εκπροσώπησης στον αγωνιστικό αθλητισμό και στους αθλητικούς θεσμούς.
Λέξεις κλειδιά: κοινωνικό φύλο, βιολογικό φύλο, έμφυλη ουδετερότητα, αθλητισμός, κοινωνική χειραφέτηση, εκδημοκρατισμός, αθλητικοί θεσμοί-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Women have come a long way since the 1952 Helsinki Games, where they represented only 10 percent of the Olympic athletes. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing women represented approximately 43 percent of the total athlete delegation, up from 41 percent in the Athens 2004 Olympics. This does not mean that their biological make-up has changed. What has changed however are the socio-cultural perceptions pertaining to gender. On the other hand, women constitute an invisible minority in sport governing bodies today. This paper focuses on women’s underrepresentation in sport governing bodies and proposes strategies-practices of gender inclusion, including the democratization of sport institutions. The first part of thestudy examines current discussions on gender, gender neutrality, the gender subject and gender identity. In the new theoretical framework gender is being transformed from a static biological perception into a dynamic social category, affecting and changing identity, gender relations and the expectations of the social environment. Namely, in today’s postmodernist reality discussions on gender no longer focus exclusively on the biological gender (sex) as an analytical category, but on the social gender which formulates, defines and redefines identity, according to evolving socio-cultural interpretations. Although the biological gender is losing its primacy as an analytical category in most social spaces (i.e. there is no regulated gender classification system in the political arena, in sports, etc.), it is enforced by rules and regulations in competitive sports, and not only. It seems to extend into sport governing bodies as well. The second part of the study explores the interrelation of outdated social theories, ‘biologistic’ approaches and anachronistic gender- based ideologies that established gender stereotypes, hierarchies in sports that continue to apply today. Women are still under-reprsented in executive bodies of national and international sport organizations, federations and institutions, such as the IOC: there are only 14 women who represent 14.1% of the total of 113 IOC members. Consequently, a critical issue which needs to be addressed extensively, among others, is the democratization of the IOC structures since exclusions based on genetic characteristics are a contradiction to the value system of sport.
Keywords: gender identity, gender neutrality, democratization of the IOC.
............................................ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗ - Σκοπός της εργασίας αυτής είναι να διερευνηθούν οι αιτίες που οδήγησαν στη σημερινή υπό-εκπροσώπηση των γυναικών όσον αφορά θέσεις διοικητικής ευθύνης στους αθλητικούς θεσμούς και να προταθούν στρατηγικές ενσωμάτωσης. Στην πρώτη ενότητα αναφέρονται οι θεωρητικές προσεγγίσεις για το φύλο (κοινωνικό φύλο – βιολογικό φύλο). Εξετάζετε το έμφυλο υποκείμενο (gender subject) καθώς και η έμφυλη ταυτότητα ως αποτέλεσμα συσχετισμού της βιολογικής διαφοράς με πολύπλοκες κοινωνικές διεργασίες. Το ενδιαφέρον επικεντρώνετε στην έμφυλη ουδετερότητα, που αφορά στην πρόσβαση και ενσωμάτωση του υποκειμένου επιμέρους κοινωνικές περιοχές όπως της πολιτικής, του αθλητισμού κ.τ.λ. Διαπιστώθηκε ότι ιδιαίτερα στο υψηλό αθλητισμό, σε αντίθεση με άλλες κοινωνικές περιοχές, δεν συναντάται ως δομικό συστατικό μια έμφυλη ουδετερότητα. Στην δεύτερη ενότητα διερευνήθηκαν οι παράγοντες υπό-εκπροσώπησης στον αγωνιστικό αθλητισμό και στους αθλητικούς θεσμούς.
Λέξεις κλειδιά: κοινωνικό φύλο, βιολογικό φύλο, έμφυλη ουδετερότητα, αθλητισμός, κοινωνική χειραφέτηση, εκδημοκρατισμός, αθλητικοί θεσμοί
BACKGROUND: The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) is a norm-referenced test that assesses the spontaneous motor performance of infants from birth through independent walking (0-18 months). This scale has been utilized for clinical and research purposes in various countries, however, whether the initial standardization in Canadian infants is also representative of other countries’ populations has been questioned. AIM: To assess whether the AIMS needs new reference values for Greek infants. METHODS: A cohort of 424 healthy full-term infants (250 boys and 174 girls), aged between 7 days and 18 months, derived from various areas of the Prefecture of Attica and from all socio-economic classes to ensure a true representation, was studied. The AIMS-scores of Greek infants were compared with the norm-referenced values of the original Canadian population reported by Piper and Darrah. RESULTS: The mean AIMS-scores did not differ significantly between Greek and Canadian infants at any age level from birth to 18 months, except for the 2-<3 month of age when higher scores were observed in Greek infants (p=0.02). There was no significant difference in AIMS-values corresponding to the 5th and 90th percentile between Greek and Canadian infants. Inter-rater reliability was excellent in our study population [ICC: 0.99 (95% CI: 0.99-0.99)]. CONCLUSION: In healthy full-term Greek infants, gross motor maturity assessed by the AIMS during the first 18 months of age, seems to follow a similar course to that of Canadian infants.
Using Chandra, XMM-Newton, and optical photometric catalogs we study the young X-ray binary (XRB) populations of the Small Magellanic Cloud. We find that the Be/X-ray binaries (Be-XRBs) are observed in regions with star formation rate bursts ~25-60 Myr ago. The similarity of this age with the age of maximum occurrence of the Be phenomenon (~40 Myr) indicates that the presence of a circumstellar decretion disk plays a significant role in the number of observed XRBs in the 10-100 Myr age range. We also find that regions with strong but more recent star formation (e.g., the Wing) are deficient in Be-XRBs. By correlating the number of observed Be-XRBs with the formation rate of their parent populations, we measure a Be-XRB production rate of ~1 system per 3 × 10-3 M sun yr-1. Finally, we use the strong localization of the Be-XRB systems in order to set limits on the kicks imparted on the neutron star during the supernova explosion.
In this study, the mean rain intensity (mm/h) in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece, is examined during the period 1930-2007. The daily meteorological data were acquired from the meteorological stations of the National Observatory of Athens (Thissio) and the University Campus of Thessaloniki. These stations have recorded the longest and reliable daily rain time series in Greece. The trends of the annual and seasonal mean, as well as the maximum rain intensity, are analyzed. On the one hand, all of the time series in Athens present higher figures of mean rain intensity during the period 1990-2007 compared to the period 1930-1990. On the other hand, regarding the time series in Thessaloniki, the mean rain intensity remains in lower level than the respective one in Athens without significant trend at the Confidence Level (CL) 95%. As far as the annual and seasonal maximum rain intensity is concerned, similar patterns appear. However, the summer maximum rain intensity in Thessaloniki remains at higher levels till 1970's. The atmospheric circulation patterns for the extreme rain intensities show intense negative anomalies centred over Greece and positive anomalies to the north, with centre over Scandinavia.
The PMTs of the CMS Hadron Forward calorimeter were found to generate a large size signal when their windows were traversed by energetic charged particles. This signal, which is due to Čerenkov light production at the PMT window, could interfere with the calorimeter signal and mislead the measurements. In order to find a viable solution to this problem, the response of four different types of PMTs to muons traversing their windows at different orientations is measured at the H2 beam-line at CERN. Certain kinds of PMTs with thinner windows show significantly lower response to direct muon incidence. For the four anode PMT, a simple and powerful algorithm to identify such events and recover the PMT signal using the signals of the quadrants without window hits is also presented. For the measurement of PMT responses to Čerenkov light, the Hadron Forward calorimeter signal was mimicked by two different setups in electron beams and the PMT performances were compared with each other. Superior performance of particular PMTs was observed.
To investigate the transient nature of supersoft sources (SSSs) in M 31, we compared SSS candidates of the XMM-Newton Deep Survey, ROSAT PSPC surveys and the Chandra catalogues in the same field. We found 40 SSSs in the XMM-Newton observations. While 12 of the XMM-Newton sources were brighter than the limiting flux of the ROSAT PSPC survey, only two were detected with ROSAT ˜10 yr earlier. Five correlate with recent optical novae which explains why they were not detected by ROSAT. The remaining 28 XMM-Newton SSSs have fluxes below the ROSAT detection threshold. Nevertheless we found one correlation with a ROSAT source, which had significantly larger fluxes than during the XMM-Newton observations. Ten of the XMM-Newton SSSs were detected by Chandra with <1- ˜6 yr between the observations. Five were also classified as SSSs by Chandra. Of the 30 ROSAT SSSs three were confirmed with XMM-Newton, while for 11 sources other classifications are suggested. Of the remaining 16 sources one correlates with an optical nova. Of the 42 Chandra very-soft sources five are classified as XMM-Newton SSSs, while for 22 we suggest other classifications. Of the remaining 15 sources, nine are classified as transient by Chandra, one of them correlates with an optical nova. These findings underlined the high variability of the sources of this class and the connection between SSSs and optical novae. Only three sources, were detected by all three missions as SSSs. Thus they are visible for more than a decade, despite their variability. Based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and NASA.
We report the detection of a nova candidate in M 31 using observations with the UltraViolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) on board the Swift satellite. The object was serendipitously detected in the UVW1 filter (181-321nm) UVOT observation 00031255018 with 4333 s exposure starting on 2010-06-24.02 UT with a magnitude of 19.5+-0.2. The position for the nova candidate is RA = 00h42m55s.56, Dec = +41d19'25".5 (J2000, accuracy of 1.0"), which is 127" east and 197" north of the core of M 31.
Glycogen phosphorylase (GP) is a promising molecular target for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. The design of potential inhibitors for the catalytic site of the enzyme is based on the high affinity for -D-glucopyranose and the pres- ence of a -cavity that extends from the sugar anomeric position forming a 15 x 7.5 x 10 Å available space. This review is focused on our efforts towards the design and synthesis of various families of potential inhibitors, including N--D- glucopyranosyl oxamic acid esters and oxamides, N--D-glucopyranosylaminocarbonyl L-aminoacids and peptides, as well as glucose-derived purine and pyrimidine nucleosides, spiro- and other bicyclic derivatives. Kinetic and crystallo- graphic study of the interactions of these inhibitors with GP has increased our understanding of the importance of the various functional groups within the catalytic site and has pointed the way towards the in silico prediction and design of potent inhibitors, which are both synthetically viable and pharmacologically relevant.
BACKGROUND: Current guidelines propose different reperfusion strategies for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) depending on the time delay from pain onset, the availability of a catheterization laboratory and the patient's characteristics. In order to implement national strategies to improve reperfusion rates the existing situation must be first analysed. The aim of this report is to provide a description of where and when STEMI patients present in a countrywide registry.
METHODS: The Hellenic Infarction Observation Study (HELIOS) was a countrywide registry that enrolled 1096 patients with STEMI from 31 hospitals with a proportional representation of all types of hospitals from all geographical areas. We recorded the proportion of patients that fits within each category of treatment algorithms.
RESULTS: The following percentages of the total STEMI population were recorded: a) admitted in invasive hospitals within 12 h 28.7% (with 26% of those not reperfused) and after 12 h 5.9% and b) admitted in non-invasive hospitals within 3 h 34.9% (with 30% of those not reperfused), 3-12 h 19.3% and after 12 h 11%.
CONCLUSIONS: A large proportion of STEMI patients are admitted either in an invasive hospital within 12 h or in a non-invasive one within 3 h from pain onset and therefore can be treated locally according to the guidelines. A relatively small percentage of patients are late presenters in non-invasive centres and are candidates for immediate transfer for primary PCI. These data could be useful in planning reperfusion strategies at countrywide level since not all patients may require immediate transfer for primary PCI.
The revised tectono-stratigraphy of Crete and especially of the "Phyllites-Quartzites" complex demonstrated the distinction of the probable Paleozoic low-medium grade metamorphic rocks of the Arna unit from the underlying Permo-Triassic phyllites and associated carbonate sediments (Trypali facies) of Western Crete unit as well as the overlying Permo-Triassic phyllites and associated sediments of the Tyros/Ravdoucha Beds at the base of the Tripolis unit. The pre-existing mixture of the above tectono-stratigaphic units in a single complex created a number of misinterpretations as far as stratigraphy, metamorphism and interpretation of low angle faults as thrusts or detachments. Especially in cases where the inferred tectonic contact concerns the transition between the Tyros Beds and the base of the Tripolis carbonate platform there is no structural omission and therefore the contact represents a minor disharmonic sliding surface and not a detachment. Based on the revised tectono-stratigraphic analysis the determination of the structural omission for each tectonic contact was possible and several detachments were described for the first time. Footwall rocks of the detachments comprised several tectonic units usually from the lower nappes and hanging wall rocks comprised several tectonic units usually from the upper nappes. The detachment may separate not only metamorphosed units in the footwall (Mani, Western Crete, Arna) from non metamorphosed units in the hanging wall (Tripolis, Pindos and higher nappes) but also all other possible combinations from the Cretan nappe pile. Extension in Crete started in the Middle-Late Miocene with the formation of extensional detachment faults. The reported extensional structures of Oligocene to Early Miocene age do not correspond to crustal extension of Crete but to localized shear zones related to nappe stacking and the exhumation of metamorphic rocks. Extensional detachments in Crete form a tectonic horst through two oppositely dipping E-W-trending zones; one dipping north, related to the opening of the Cretan basin, and the other dipping south, related to the formation of the Messara supra-detachment basin. The deformation history of units within Crete can be summarized as: (i) compressional deformation producing arc-parallel east-west-trending south-directed thrust faults in Oligocene to Early Miocene time; (ii) extensional deformation along arc-parallel, east-west-trending detachment faults in Middle Miocene time, with hanging wall motion to the north and south; and (iii) Late Miocene-Quaternary transtensional deformation along high-angle normal and oblique normal faults that disrupt the older arc-parallel structures.
As a result of the variability survey in χ Persei and NGC 6910, the number of β Cep stars that are members of these two open clusters is increased to twenty stars, nine in NGC 6910 and eleven in χ Persei. We compare pulsational properties, in particular the frequency spectra, of β Cep stars in both clusters and explain the differences in terms of the global parameters of the clusters. We also indicate that the more complicated pattern of the variability among B-type stars in χ Persei is very likely caused by higher rotational velocities of stars in this cluster. We conclude that the sample of pulsating stars in the two open clusters constitutes a very good starting point for the ensemble asteroseismology of β Cep-type stars and maybe also for other B-type pulsators.
In this work we unmask a novel downregulation mechanism of the uric acid/xanthine transporter UapA, the prototype member of the ubiquitous Nucleobase-Ascorbate Transporter family, directly related to its function. In the presence of substrates, UapA is endocytosed, sorted into the multivesicular body pathway and degraded in vacuoles. Substrate-induced endocytosis, unlike ammonium-induced turnover, is absolutely dependent on UapA activity and several lines of evidence showed that the signal for increased endocytosis is the actual translocation of substrates through the UapA protein. The use of several UapA functional mutants with altered kinetics and specificity has further shown that transport-dependent UapA endocytosis occurs through a mechanism, which senses subtle conformational changes associated with the transport cycle. We also show that distinct mechanisms of UapA endocytosis necessitate ubiquitination of a single Lys residue (K572) by HulA(Rsp5). Finally, we demonstrate that in the presence of substrates, non-functional UapA versions can be endocytosed in trans if expressed in the simultaneous presence of active UapA versions, even if the latter cannot be endocytosed themselves.
The recent breakthrough discoveries of transport systems assigned with atypical functions provide evidence for complexity in membrane transport biochemistry. Some channels are far from being simple pores creating hydrophilic passages for solutes and can, unexpectedly, act as enzymes, or mediate high-affinity uptake, and some transporters are surprisingly able to function as sensors, channels or even enzymes. Furthermore, numerous transport studies have demonstrated complex multiphasic uptake kinetics for organic and mineral nutrients. The biphasic kinetics of glucose uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a result of several genetically distinct uptake systems operating simultaneously, is a classical example that is a subject of continuous debate. In contrast, some transporters display biphasic kinetics, being bona fidae dual-affinity transporters, their kinetic properties often modulated by post-translational regulation. Also, aquaporins have recently been reported to exhibit diverse transport properties and can behave as highly adapted, multifunctional channels, transporting solutes such as CO(2), hydrogen peroxide, urea, ammonia, glycerol, polyols, carbamides, purines and pyrimidines, metalloids, glycine, and lactic acid, rather than being simple water pores. The present review provides an overview on some atypical functions displayed by transporter proteins and discusses how this novel knowledge on cellular uptake systems may be related to complex multiphasic uptake kinetics often seen in a wide variety of living organisms and the intriguing diffusive uptake of sugars and other solutes.
We report on the effective optical response of a uniaxial crystal of metal–dielectric–metal nanosandwiches, which exhibits artificial optical magnetism, through full-electrodynamic simulations by the extended layer-multiple-scattering method. Using a recently developed all-angle homogenization procedure, which is based on rigorous results of complex-band-structure and reflection-coefficient calculations, we deduce local effective permittivity and permeability tensors, appropriate for this crystal. We show that the effective-medium description breaks down as we approach the region of the magnetic resonance. In a frequency region close to the resonance the retrieved effective parameters, though doubtful, indicate that the crystal under consideration may exhibit negative refraction. This behaviour is demonstrated by rigorous calculation of the isofrequency surfaces of the actual crystal and determination of the relevant group velocities.
OJ 287 is a BL Lac object at redshift z = 0.306 that has shown double-peaked bursts at regular intervals of ~12yr during the last ~40yr. We analyse optical photopolarimetric monitoring data from 2005 to 2009, during which the latest double-peaked outburst occurred. The aim of this study is twofold: firstly, we aim to analyse variability patterns and statistical properties of the optical polarization light curve. We find a strong preferred position angle in optical polarization. The preferred position angle can be explained by separating the jet emission into two components: an optical polarization core and chaotic jet emission. The optical polarization core is stable on time-scales of years and can be explained as emission from an underlying quiescent jet component. The chaotic jet emission sometimes exhibits a circular movement in the Stokes plane. We find six such events, all on the time-scales of 10-20d. We interpret these events as a shock front moving forwards and backwards in the jet, swiping through a helical magnetic field. Secondly, we use our data to assess different binary black hole models proposed to explain the regularly appearing double-peaked bursts in OJ 287. We compose a list of requirements a model has to fulfil to explain the mysterious behaviour observed in OJ 287. The list includes not only characteristics of the light curve but also other properties of OJ 287, such as the black hole mass and restrictions on accretion flow properties. We rate all existing models using this list and conclude that none of the models is able to explain all observations. We discuss possible new explanations and propose a new approach to understanding OJ 287. We suggest that both the double-peaked bursts and the evolution of the optical polarization position angle could be explained as a sign of resonant accretion of magnetic field lines, a `magnetic breathing' of the disc.
Hb Agrinio [α29(B10)Leu→Pro] is a highly unstable variant, classified as a nondeletional α-thalassemia (α-thal) mutation. To date it has only been described in individuals of Greek and Cypriot origin. Evaluation of the phenotypic presentation of 12 Hb Agrinio homozygotes or compound heterozygotes, diagnosed in a single center in Greece during a 15-year period, found a wide clinical expression, ranging from thalassemia intermedia (with or without transfusion requirement) to Hb H hydrops fetalis, with some phenotype-to-genotype correlation. The often severe clinical presentation of Hb Agrinio homozygotes or Hb Agrinio compound heterozygotes, coinheriting severe α-thal determinants, indicates that molecular identification of carriers of the Hb Agrinio mutation should be considered within the context of screening programs involving individuals of Greek and Cypriot origin. Selective molecular investigation of candidate carriers is facilitated by the observation that all heterozygotes for the Hb Agrinio mutation present with at least one hematological parameter implicating an α-thal carrier state.
Inquiries into the relationships between viral respiratory tract illnesses and the inception and exacerbation of asthma are being facilitated by recent advances in research approaches and technology. In this article we identify important knowledge gaps and future research questions, and we discuss how new investigational tools, including improved respiratory tract virus detection techniques, will permit current and future researchers to define these relationships and the host, virus, developmental, and environmental mechanisms that regulate them. A better understanding of these processes should facilitate the development of improved strategies for the prevention and treatment of virus-induced wheezing illnesses and asthma exacerbations and, possibly, the ultimate goal of discovering effective approaches for the primary prevention of asthma.
aspects on the interactive masks createdby the composer Georgia Spiropoulosfor the needs of the opera LesBacchantes (Ircam, 2010). Bacchae isan opera for a single performer, tapeand live electronics where the voice ofthe performer interprets four differentroles with the interactive environmentin Max/Msp. The virtual masks as ametaphor of Euripide’s dramaticpersonae and masks1 of the same actor.Are used as virtual scores whichregister the vocal trace of the performerand give further vocal agility,extensibility, mutation, multiplicationand augmented vocality.
alpha-Lactalbumin (alpha-La) is a major cow's milk (CM) allergen responsible for allergic reactions in infants.|We performed molecular, structural, and immunologic characterization of alpha-La.|Recombinant alpha-lactalbumin (ralpha-La) was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity, and characterized by means of mass spectrometry and circular dichroism, and its allergenic activity was studied by using microarray technology, as well as in a basophil histamine release assay. IgE epitope mapping was performed with synthetic peptides.|According to circular dichroism analysis, ralpha-La represented a folded protein with a high thermal stability and refolding capacity. ralpha-La reacted with IgE antibodies from 57.6% of patients with CM allergy (n = 66) and induced the strongest basophil degranulation with sera from patients with CM allergy who had exhibited gastrointestinal symptoms or severe systemic reactions on CM exposure. ralpha-La contained sequential and conformational IgE epitopes. Superposition of IgE-reactive peptides onto the 3-dimensional structure of alpha-La revealed a close vicinity of the N- and C-terminal peptides within a surface-exposed patch.|ralpha-La can be used for the diagnosis of patients with severe allergic reactions to CM and serves as a paradigmatic tool for the development of therapeutic strategies for CM allergy.
These files present the observational data of the paper. There are 7 files : 6 for photometry (BVRIri) and one for polarimetry. Details of the reduction procedures and the telescopes involved can be found in the paper. (7 data files).
The performance of QuantiFERON-tuberculosis (TB) Gold-In-Tube assay was compared with the tuberculin skin test for the diagnosis of TB among children. It was shown that among non-Bacille Calmette Guèrin immunized children, agreement between tests was excellent both in those with TB disease and in TB contacts. Among Bacille Calmette Guèrin-immunized children, agreement was fair in those with active disease and poor among TB contacts. It is concluded that QuantiFERON-TB Gold-In-Tube compares with the tuberculin skin test in the diagnosis of TB disease and latent tuberculosis infection in TB contacts among children and has enhanced specificity.
Καμπερίδου, Ειρήνη & Al zyoud, Khaled (2010). Γυναίκα και Αθλητισμός στην Ιορδανία και στην «Κορανική Κοινωνία», Γυναίκα & Άθληση, VII, σελ. 54-72. Έκδοση της Πανελλήνιας Ένωσης για την Προώθηση των Γυναικών στον Αθλητισμό και τα Σπορ (ΠΕΠΓΑΣ) Abstractwomen_and_sports_in_jordan_and_in_koranic_society_2010.pdf-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Σκοπός της εργασίας αυτής ήταν να εξετάσει τους λόγους που απομακρύνουν ή αποκλείουν τη γυναίκα της Ιορδανίας από την αθλητική δραστηριότητα.Χρησιμοποιώντας τα εργαλεία των κοινωνικών επιστημών και την κοινωνιολογική προσέγγιση, στην πρώτη ενότητα μελετήθηκαν η θέση της γυναίκας στο Ισλάμ και την Ιορδανία, καθώς και ο αθλητισμός από ισλαμική σκοπιά (Najy, 1995; Mansour, 2000; Alkakei, 2001; Υοnes, 2001; Mouner, 2003; Yones & Ibrahem, 2003; El-Azhary, 2005; Αλζιούντ, 2008).Στόχος της δεύτερης ενότητας ήταν να διερευνηθούν οι επιπτώσεις των ηθών και εθίμων στην αθλητική δραστηριότητα των μαθητριών της Ιορδανικής κοινωνίας-τόσο στην περιφέρεια όσο και την πόλη-και ο βαθμός παρέμβασης των κηδεμόνων/γονέων τους. Τα ερωτηματολόγια διανεμήθηκαν συνολικά σε 2.000 μαθήτριες και κηδεμόνες/γονείς: 1000 μαθήτριες της Ιορδανίας, ηλικίας 14-16 ετών, εκ των οποίων οι 580 εκπροσωπούσαν την αστική κοινωνία και οι 420 την αγροτική και αντίστοιχα ο ίδιος αριθμός ερωτηματολογίων μοιράστηκε στους κηδεμόνες/γονείς τους. Ως κηδεμόνας, των εν λόγω μαθητριών ορίζεται ο πατέρας ή ο μεγαλύτερος αδελφός. Η ιορδανική νομοθεσία δεν αναγνωρίζει τη μητέρα ως κηδεμόνα της κόρης της. Συμπεράσματα: Αναδεικνύεται ότι τα ήθη και έθιμα της αραβικής κοινωνίας, η θρησκεία, η εθνικο-θρησκευτικές και κρατικές δομές, ο αναλφαβητισμός, ο ενδυματολογικός κώδικας του Ισλάμ, οι κοινωνικές προκαταλήψεις, η έλλειψη αθλητικών χώρων αποκλειστικά για γυναίκες, η ανεπάρκεια «κατάλληλης» αθλητικής ενδυμασίας για τη μουσουλμάνα, καθώς και η έλλειψη αθλητικής κουλτούρας στην Ιορδανία, αποτελούν σοβαρά εμπόδια για τη συμμετοχή των κοριτσιών και των γυναικών στο μάθημα της φυσικής αγωγής και στον αγωνιστικό αθλητισμό.
Λέξεις κλειδιά: αθλητισμός από ισλαμική σκοπιά, εμπόδια στην αθλητική δραστηριότητα, ήθη και έθιμα, κοινωνικο-θρησκευτικοί περιορισμοί, «κατάλληλη» αθλητική ενδυμασία.
--------------------------------------This study examines the participation of Muslim girls and women in physical education classes and competitive sports in Jordanian society. The first part of the study, using a sociological approach, focuses on international dialogue on the position of “Women in a Qur’ anic Society” (Al-Faruqi, 1984), namely in Islamic
cultures, including Jordanian society, and subsequently examines sport from an Islamic perspective (Najy, 1995; Mansour, 2000; Alkakei, 2001; ÀÔnes, 2001; Mouner, 2003; Yones & Ibrahem, 2003; El-Azhary, 2005; Αλζιούντ, 2008). The second part examines socio-cultural attitudes concerning Jordanian girls’ and women’s participation in sports. Questionnaires were distributed to 1.000 female high school students in Jordan between the ages of 14-16 – 580 from urban areas and 420 from agricultural. An equivalent number (1.000 questionnaires) was also distributed to their male parents or legal guardians. According to Jordanian legislation (law 34:1973) a female (the mother) is not recognized as a legal gal guardian. The results of the study indicate that the reasons that Jordanian girls and women are discouraged or forbidden from participating in sport activities –although there are exceptions to the rule– are due to cultural perspectives, socio-religious barriers and perceptions concerning women’s bodies as well as the lack of “appropriate sport attire”, social prejudices and attitudes, the scarcity of exclusively female sport spaces/installations and so forth. In Jordanian society girls and women still confront many obstacles to sport participation.
Key-words: sport from an Islamic perspective, women’s bodies, socio-religious barriers, Muslim women in sports, “appropriate” sport attire.
This paper argues for the support of women entrepreneurs and policies encouraging entrepreneurship regardless of gender in order to stimulate growth as Europe does not have enough entrepreneurs.Surveys conducted by the National Foundation of Women Business Owners (NFWBO)show that women-owned firms compete in the global market, stimulate growth, havegreater revenues and are more focused on business expansion than firms that aredomestically oriented.1 Women entrepreneurs have a significant impact on theeconomy, not only in their ability to create jobs for themselves but also in creatingjobs for others. However, they constitute only 34.4% of the EU's self-employedworkforce and only 39.4% women choose to be self-employed compared to 50.2%men Research also confirms that women entrepreneurs are highly educated anduse more high technology systems than their male counterparts. Additionally, studiesshow that women create smaller but relatively more viable enterprises, are morecautious than men and possess better awareness regarding the risk of failure. Consequently, it is vital for women to learn how to play the international trade gameand raise the visibility of women’s entrepreneurship...............................................................
Kamberidou, Irene (2010). Women Entrepreneurs, an Emerging Economic Force. Submitted Paper for the “SMEs and Entrepreneurship: European Actions for Women Entrepreneurs” Round Table on Women Entrepreneurship organized by the Transnational Consortium of the European project women@business and the Hellenic Association of Young Entrepreneurs, 14th December 2010, Hellenic European Parliament Office, 8 Amalias street, Athens, Greece. European Commission Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme 2007-2013. (info@militos.org). Published in EUD Community http://www.ictwomendirectory.eu (December 18, 2010 11:40 AM); in ECWT www.womenandtechnology.eu (December 18, 2010 11:18 AM Dec. 2010). Also disseminated in women@business website (www.womenatbusiness.eu) and in Home page: http://www.womenatbusiness.eu/ViewShopStaticPage.aspx?ValueId=2901. G.4 in Apella
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Context. Classical novae (CNe) have recently been reported to represent the major class of supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) in the central region of our neighbour galaxy M 31. Aims: We carried out a dedicated monitoring of the M 31 central region with XMM-Newton and Chandra in order to find SSS counterparts of CNe, determine the duration of their SSS phase and derive physical outburst parameters. Methods: We systematically searched our data for X-ray counterparts of CNe and determined their X-ray light curves and spectral properties. Additionally, we determined luminosity upper limits for all novae from previous studies which are not detected anymore and for all CNe in our field of view with optical outbursts between May 2005 and March 2007. Results: We detected eight X-ray counterparts of CNe in M 31, four of which were not previously known. Seven sources can be classified as SSSs, one is a candidate SSS. Two SSSs are still visible more than nine years after the nova outburst, whereas two other nova counterparts show a short SSS phase of less than 150 days. Of the latter sources, M31N 2006-04a exhibits a short-time variable X-ray light curve with an apparent period of (1.6±0.3) h. This periodicity could indicate the binary period of the system. There is no X-ray detection for 23 out of 25 CNe which were within the field of view of our observations and had their outburst from about one year before the start of the monitoring until its end. From the 14 SSS nova counterparts known from previous studies, ten are not detected anymore. Additionally, we found four SSSs in our XMM-Newton data without a nova counterpart, one of which is a new source. Conclusions: Out of eleven SSSs detected in our monitoring, seven are counterparts of CNe. We therefore confirm the earlier finding that CNe are the major class of SSSs in the central region of M 31. We use the measured SSS turn-on and turn-off times to estimate the mass ejected in the nova outburst and the mass burned on the white dwarf. Classical novae with short SSS phases seem to be an important contributor to the overall population. Partly based on observations with XMM-Newton, an ESA Science Mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and NASA.
The Saint Georgios coastal zone, located at the W coast of Naxos, the largest island of the Central Aegean Sea, was investigated in order to determine the palaeo-geography, sea level changes and their effect to the palaeo-environment of western Naxos island and to human activity. Detailed geomorphological mapping, study of micropaleontological and sedimentological characteristics and dating analyses of the Late Holocene of St. Georgios coastal zone were conducted.To obtain information about the Holocene stratigraphy under the recent alluvial cover, three boreholes followed the detailed geomorphological mapping. Microfaunal analysis took place and five samples of plants, shells, peat and charred material were also collected from several layers of the sedimentary sequence and were dated using AMS and conventional radiocarbon techniques providing temporal control of the sediments. The sea-land interactions during Upper Holocene, in relation to the eustatic sea level oscillations, as well as the geomorphologic observations and analysis on deposited sediments, aims to reveal the palaeo-geographic evolution of the landscape and its impact on the archaeological sites. Sea level rise along with sea-land interactions to the landscape evolution and the transgression of sea in 6144 BP have been verified.
(2010). Αθλητισμός και καπιταλισμός. Ηκατά τον Jean-MarieBrohm δομική τους αναλογία.
Σύμφωνα με τον Jean-Marie Brohm, τον μεγαλύτερο υποστηρικτή της ριζοσπαστικής κριτικής του αθλητισμού στη Γαλλία, η ανάπτυξη του αθλητισμού συνδέεται στενά με εκείνην της καπιταλιστικής βιομηχανικής εκμηχάνισης. Ο σύγχρονος αθλητισμός θα μπορούσε μάλιστα να θεωρηθεί ως η τυπική σωματική δραστηριότητα μιας βιομηχανικής κοινωνίας, καθώς αντανακλά τα θεμελιώδη γνωρίσματά της, τα οποία είναι:
α). Ο εμπορευματικός αθλητισμός.
β). Η εκλεκτική κατάταξη.
γ). Το αθλητικό ‘προϊόν’ ως κριτήριο της παραγωγής.
δ). Η ελιτίστικη επιλογή των αθλητών.
ε). Η επίδοση ως αποτέλεσμα της ‘τεχνικοποίησης’ του αθλητικού έργου.
στ). Η αύξηση της σωματικής αποδοτικότητας ως αποτέλεσμα της τεχνικής αποδοτικότητας.
ζ). Η ‘εκμηχάνιση’ της ανθρώπινης προσωπικότητας.
η). Η δέσμευση και αλλοτρίωση του προσωπικού χρόνου.
θ). Ο κατακερματισμός της ανθρώπινης ολότητας.
ι). Η εξωτερίκευση των αθλητικών ικανοτήτων.
κ). Η αλλοτρίωση του σύγχρονου πρωταθλητή και η μηχανιστική ηθική των προτύπων επιτυχίας.
Η αλλοτρίωση ή αποξένωση του ανθρώπου βρίσκει τέλεια εφαρμογή στην περίπτωση του σύγχρονου αθλητή και του έργου του. Πίσω από το μυϊκό έργο, πλέον, έχει κατασκευασθεί μια μηχανή, ανθρώπινη, αλλά, πάντως, μηχανή. Όλα λειτουργούν όπως ένα ρολόι ακριβείας, ενώ ο αθλητής έχει μετατραπεί σε εξάρτημα μιας ολόκληρης βιομηχανίας, η οποία στήνεται δίπλα του για να χρησιμοποιήσει το δικό του έργο και να κερδίσει από αυτό. Αυτό που μετράει για την κοινωνική καταξίωση είναι το σελοφάν της επιτυχίας. Τα πρότυπα που δημιουργεί το συγκεκριμένο σύστημα αξιών μπορεί προσωρινά να προκαλούν κάποια ικανοποίηση, αλλά, στην ηθική τους βάση πάσχουν, και αποπροσανατολίζουν την κοινωνία. Η αλλοίωση της πραγματικότητας που βιώνει η κοινή γνώμη, ανάγει τα ασήμαντα γεγονότα που συνιστούν οι αθλητικές συναντήσεις σε ζητήματα μείζονος σημασία, και τον μισθοφόρο-αθλητή σε επί μηχανής θεό. Οι αληθινές αξίες δεν επιβεβαιώνονται, ωστόσο, μέσω της υπερβολής και της προβολής, αλλά μπορεί να είναι σιωπηλές, μακροπρόθεσμες και πολύπλευρες. Η ενασχόληση που διαθέτει χαρακτηριστικά εξαναγκασμού και ανελευθερίας, ακόμη κι αν οδηγεί σε οποιοδήποτε ‘επιτυχές’ αποτέλεσμα, δεν μπορεί να συνιστά κοινωνικό πρότυπο, καθώς πρόκειται για αλλοίωση της ανθρώπινης φύσης. Η κοινωνία που δημιουργεί και αποδέχεται τέτοια πρότυπα, θα πρέπει, επομένως, ν’ αποκτήσει επίγνωση του εαυτού της, αναζητώντας βαθύτερα τους ιδεολογικούς παράγοντες που προξενούν τη νοσηρότητά της.
Η λέξη ‘έρις’ απαντάται πρώτη φορά στον ελληνικό γραπτό λόγο στον Όμηρο και μετέπειτα στον Ησίοδο. Από την εποχή των πρώτων αναφορών της μέχρι σήμερα το περιεχόμενό της φαίνεται να μην έχει αλλοιωθεί, καθιστώντας τη διαχρονικότητα της λέξης αξιοσημείωτη. Ο Νίτσε, μάλιστα, με αφορμή την έριδα (αγώνα) μεταξύ του Ομήρου και του Ησιόδου υποστηρίζει τη θεωρία του ότι η φύση του ανθρώπου είναι άρρηκτα συνδεδεμένη με τη διαμάχη. Η ετυμολογία της λέξης τη συνδέει με πολλές ερμηνείες, με επικρατέστερη αυτή της φιλονικίας, της προστριβής ή ακόμη και της ερινύος, της τύψης, της οργής και της κατάρας. Ο Ησίοδος ειδικά διαχωρίζει την έριδα σε καλή και σε κακή. Εξ αυτών η πρώτη οδηγεί τους ανθρώπους στα αγαθά έργα, ενώ η δεύτερη τους κατευθύνει σε βιαιότητες και σε πολέμους. Η κακή Έριδα, χαιρέκακη ούσα, συνδέεται με τη φιλονεικία (την αγάπη του νείκους=διχόνοιας) και την καταστροφή, ενώ αντίθετα η καλή με τη φιλονικία (την αγάπη της νίκης), τη δημιουργία, τον Έρωτα της ζωής, τη δικαιοσύνη και την Πανδώρα, που φέρει όλα τα δώρα. Η καλή Έριδα οδηγεί στην ευγενή άμιλλα, τον υγιή ανταγωνισμό και τον δίκαιο αγώνα, σε αντίθεση με την κακή, που στον αθλητισμό, και γενικότερα στις εκφάνσεις του πολιτισμού προκαλεί την έχθρα και το μίσος.
Η έριδα θεωρείται κάτι εγγενές του ανθρώπινου είδους, η επίγνωση, όμως, των δεινών που προκαλεί ο κακός ανταγωνισμός μπορεί να συμβάλλει στη σύλληψη από τον άνθρωπο του τρόπου με τον οποίο ο ίδιος θα ελέγξει την επιθετικότητά του, προκειμένου να ωφεληθεί από το ίδιο του το μειονέκτημα. Ο άνθρωπος έχει τη δύναμη, έλλογα, να μετατρέψει την κακή έριδα, τη φιλονεικία και τον πόλεμο σε φιλονικία με νόμο, ευγενή άμιλλα και αγώνα, εξασφαλίζοντας τη συνέχεια και την εξέλιξή του. Η χαλιναγώγηση της κατώτερης φύσης του ανθρώπου συνιστά συνειδητή στάση απέναντι στο υπό διαρκείς προκλήσεις φαινόμενο της ζωής, το οποίο δεν είναι μια συνεχής άμυνα απέναντι σε εχθρικές επιθέσεις, αλλά μια απόπειρα κατανόησης του άλλου. Η εξέλιξη του ανθρώπου βασίζεται, εν τέλει, στην αξιοποίηση της δυνατότητάς του ανθρώπου αφενός να εκλογικεύει και αφετέρου να εξανθρωπίζει τα ίδια τα ένστικτά του.
Καμπερίδου, Ειρήνη (2010). Κοινωνικό φύλο - βιολογικό φύλο: το φύλο στον αθλητισμό και η ιστορικότητα του γυναικείου αποκλεισμού. Γυναίκα και Άθληση, τόμος VII, 2009/2010, σελ. 7-24.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Σκοπός της εργασίας αυτής είναι να διερευνηθούν οι αιτίες που οδήγησαν στη σημερινή υπό-εκπροσώπηση των γυναικών όσον αφορά θέσεις διοικητικής ευθύνης στους αθλητικούς θεσμούς και να προταθούν στρατηγικές ενσωμάτωσης. Στην πρώτη ενότητα αναφέρονται οι θεωρητικές προσεγγίσεις για το φύλο (κοινωνικό φύλο – βιολογικό φύλο). Εξετάζετε το έμφυλο υποκείμενο (gender subject) καθώς και η έμφυλη ταυτότητα ως αποτέλεσμα συσχετισμού της βιολογικής διαφοράς με πολύπλοκες κοινωνικές διεργασίες. Το ενδιαφέρον επικεντρώνετε στην έμφυλη ουδετερότητα, που αφορά στην πρόσβαση και ενσωμάτωση του υποκειμένου επιμέρους κοινωνικές περιοχές όπως της πολιτικής, του αθλητισμού κ.τ.λ. Διαπιστώθηκε ότι ιδιαίτερα στο υψηλό αθλητισμό, σε αντίθεση με άλλες κοινωνικές περιοχές, δεν συναντάται ως δομικό συστατικό μια έμφυλη ουδετερότητα. Στην δεύτερη ενότητα διερευνήθηκαν οι παράγοντες υπό-εκπροσώπησης στον αγωνιστικό αθλητισμό και στους αθλητικούς θεσμούς. Λέξεις κλειδιά: κοινωνικό φύλο, βιολογικό φύλο, έμφυλη ουδετερότητα, αθλητισμός, κοινωνική χειραφέτηση, εκδημοκρατισμός, αθλητικοί θεσμοί------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABSTRACT: Women have come a long way since the 1952 Helsinki Games, where they represented only 10 percent of the Olympic athletes. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing women represented approximately 43 percent of the total athlete delegation, up from 41 percent in the Athens 2004 Olympics. This does not mean that their biological make-up has changed. What has changed however are the socio-cultural perceptions pertaining to gender. On the other hand, women constitute an invisible minority in sport governing bodies today. This paper focuses on women’s underrepresentation in sport governing bodies and proposes strategies-practices of gender inclusion, including the democratization of sport institutions. The first part of thestudy examines current discussions on gender, gender neutrality, the gender subject and gender identity. In the new theoretical framework gender is being transformed from a static biological perception into a dynamic social category, affecting and changing identity, gender relations and the expectations of the social environment. Namely, in today’s postmodernist reality discussions on gender no longer focus exclusively on the biological gender (sex) as an analytical category, but on the social gender which formulates, defines and redefines identity, according to evolving socio-cultural interpretations. Although the biological gender is losing its primacy as an analytical category in most social spaces (i.e. there is no regulated gender classification system in the political arena, in sports, etc.), it is enforced by rules and regulations in competitive sports, and not only. It seems to extend into sport governing bodies as well. The second part of the study explores the interrelation of outdated social theories, ‘biologistic’ approaches and anachronistic gender- based ideologies that established gender stereotypes, hierarchies in sports that continue to apply today. Women are still under-reprsented in executive bodies of national and international sport organizations, federations and institutions, such as the IOC: there are only 14 women who represent 14.1% of the total of 113 IOC members. Consequently, a critical issue which needs to be addressed extensively, among others, is the democratization of the IOC structures since exclusions based on genetic characteristics are a contradiction to the value system of sport. Keywords: gender identity, gender neutrality, gender neutral, democratization of the IOC structures. ............................................
Καμπερίδου, Ειρήνη (2010). Κοινωνικό φύλο - βιολογικό φύλο: το φύλο στον αθλητισμό και η ιστορικότητα του γυναικείου αποκλεισμού. Γυναίκα και Άθληση, τόμος VII, 2009/2010, σελ. 7-24.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Σκοπός της εργασίας αυτής είναι να διερευνηθούν οι αιτίες που οδήγησαν στη σημερινή υπό-εκπροσώπηση των γυναικών όσον αφορά θέσεις διοικητικής ευθύνης στους αθλητικούς θεσμούς και να προταθούν στρατηγικές ενσωμάτωσης. Στην πρώτη ενότητα αναφέρονται οι θεωρητικές προσεγγίσεις για το φύλο (κοινωνικό φύλο – βιολογικό φύλο). Εξετάζετε το έμφυλο υποκείμενο (gender subject) καθώς και η έμφυλη ταυτότητα ως αποτέλεσμα συσχετισμού της βιολογικής διαφοράς με πολύπλοκες κοινωνικές διεργασίες. Το ενδιαφέρον επικεντρώνετε στην έμφυλη ουδετερότητα, που αφορά στην πρόσβαση και ενσωμάτωση του υποκειμένου επιμέρους κοινωνικές περιοχές όπως της πολιτικής, του αθλητισμού κ.τ.λ. Διαπιστώθηκε ότι ιδιαίτερα στο υψηλό αθλητισμό, σε αντίθεση με άλλες κοινωνικές περιοχές, δεν συναντάται ως δομικό συστατικό μια έμφυλη ουδετερότητα. Στην δεύτερη ενότητα διερευνήθηκαν οι παράγοντες υπό-εκπροσώπησης στον αγωνιστικό αθλητισμό και στους αθλητικούς θεσμούς. Λέξεις κλειδιά: κοινωνικό φύλο, βιολογικό φύλο, έμφυλη ουδετερότητα, αθλητισμός, κοινωνική χειραφέτηση, εκδημοκρατισμός, αθλητικοί θεσμοί------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABSTRACT: Women have come a long way since the 1952 Helsinki Games, where they represented only 10 percent of the Olympic athletes. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing women represented approximately 43 percent of the total athlete delegation, up from 41 percent in the Athens 2004 Olympics. This does not mean that their biological make-up has changed. What has changed however are the socio-cultural perceptions pertaining to gender. On the other hand, women constitute an invisible minority in sport governing bodies today. This paper focuses on women’s underrepresentation in sport governing bodies and proposes strategies-practices of gender inclusion, including the democratization of sport institutions. The first part of thestudy examines current discussions on gender, gender neutrality, the gender subject and gender identity. In the new theoretical framework gender is being transformed from a static biological perception into a dynamic social category, affecting and changing identity, gender relations and the expectations of the social environment. Namely, in today’s postmodernist reality discussions on gender no longer focus exclusively on the biological gender (sex) as an analytical category, but on the social gender which formulates, defines and redefines identity, according to evolving socio-cultural interpretations. Although the biological gender is losing its primacy as an analytical category in most social spaces (i.e. there is no regulated gender classification system in the political arena, in sports, etc.), it is enforced by rules and regulations in competitive sports, and not only. It seems to extend into sport governing bodies as well. The second part of the study explores the interrelation of outdated social theories, ‘biologistic’ approaches and anachronistic gender- based ideologies that established gender stereotypes, hierarchies in sports that continue to apply today. Women are still under-reprsented in executive bodies of national and international sport organizations, federations and institutions, such as the IOC: there are only 14 women who represent 14.1% of the total of 113 IOC members. Consequently, a critical issue which needs to be addressed extensively, among others, is the democratization of the IOC structures since exclusions based on genetic characteristics are a contradiction to the value system of sport. Keywords: gender identity, gender neutrality, gender neutral, democratization of the IOC structures. ............................................
Καμπερίδου, Ειρήνη (2010). Κοινωνικό φύλο - βιολογικό φύλο: το φύλο στον αθλητισμό και η ιστορικότητα του γυναικείου αποκλεισμού. Γυναίκα και Άθληση, τόμος VII, 2009/2010, σελ. 7-24.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Σκοπός της εργασίας αυτής είναι να διερευνηθούν οι αιτίες που οδήγησαν στη σημερινή υπό-εκπροσώπηση των γυναικών όσον αφορά θέσεις διοικητικής ευθύνης στους αθλητικούς θεσμούς και να προταθούν στρατηγικές ενσωμάτωσης. Στην πρώτη ενότητα αναφέρονται οι θεωρητικές προσεγγίσεις για το φύλο (κοινωνικό φύλο – βιολογικό φύλο). Εξετάζετε το έμφυλο υποκείμενο (gender subject) καθώς και η έμφυλη ταυτότητα ως αποτέλεσμα συσχετισμού της βιολογικής διαφοράς με πολύπλοκες κοινωνικές διεργασίες. Το ενδιαφέρον επικεντρώνετε στην έμφυλη ουδετερότητα, που αφορά στην πρόσβαση και ενσωμάτωση του υποκειμένου επιμέρους κοινωνικές περιοχές όπως της πολιτικής, του αθλητισμού κ.τ.λ. Διαπιστώθηκε ότι ιδιαίτερα στο υψηλό αθλητισμό, σε αντίθεση με άλλες κοινωνικές περιοχές, δεν συναντάται ως δομικό συστατικό μια έμφυλη ουδετερότητα. Στην δεύτερη ενότητα διερευνήθηκαν οι παράγοντες υπό-εκπροσώπησης στον αγωνιστικό αθλητισμό και στους αθλητικούς θεσμούς. Λέξεις κλειδιά: κοινωνικό φύλο, βιολογικό φύλο, έμφυλη ουδετερότητα, αθλητισμός, κοινωνική χειραφέτηση, εκδημοκρατισμός, αθλητικοί θεσμοί------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABSTRACT: Women have come a long way since the 1952 Helsinki Games, where they represented only 10 percent of the Olympic athletes. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing women represented approximately 43 percent of the total athlete delegation, up from 41 percent in the Athens 2004 Olympics. This does not mean that their biological make-up has changed. What has changed however are the socio-cultural perceptions pertaining to gender. On the other hand, women constitute an invisible minority in sport governing bodies today. This paper focuses on women’s underrepresentation in sport governing bodies and proposes strategies-practices of gender inclusion, including the democratization of sport institutions. The first part of thestudy examines current discussions on gender, gender neutrality, the gender subject and gender identity. In the new theoretical framework gender is being transformed from a static biological perception into a dynamic social category, affecting and changing identity, gender relations and the expectations of the social environment. Namely, in today’s postmodernist reality discussions on gender no longer focus exclusively on the biological gender (sex) as an analytical category, but on the social gender which formulates, defines and redefines identity, according to evolving socio-cultural interpretations. Although the biological gender is losing its primacy as an analytical category in most social spaces (i.e. there is no regulated gender classification system in the political arena, in sports, etc.), it is enforced by rules and regulations in competitive sports, and not only. It seems to extend into sport governing bodies as well. The second part of the study explores the interrelation of outdated social theories, ‘biologistic’ approaches and anachronistic gender- based ideologies that established gender stereotypes, hierarchies in sports that continue to apply today. Women are still under-reprsented in executive bodies of national and international sport organizations, federations and institutions, such as the IOC: there are only 14 women who represent 14.1% of the total of 113 IOC members. Consequently, a critical issue which needs to be addressed extensively, among others, is the democratization of the IOC structures since exclusions based on genetic characteristics are a contradiction to the value system of sport. Keywords: gender identity, gender neutrality, gender neutral, democratization of the IOC structures. ............................................
Με τον όρο «κοινωνικά συστήματα προστασίας της υγείας» εννοούνται τα συστήματα στα οποία η υποβάθμιση της υγείας του ανθρώπου θεωρείται κοινωνικός κίνδυνος. Οι συμπράξεις στα κοινωνικά συστήματα προστασίας της υγείας εγείρουν δύο βασικά ερωτήματα στα οποία εστιάζεται η μελέτη: Πρώτον, εάν η ιδιαίτερη φύση της υγειοπροστατευτικής δραστηριότητας επιβάλλει τη θέσπιση ιδιαίτερου νομοθετικού καθεστώτος σε σχέση με το γενικό καθεστώς που ισχύει για τις συμπράξεις στους υπόλοιπους τομείς της διοικητικής δράσεως. Δεύτερον, ποιες επιπτώσεις επιφέρει ο χαρακτηρισμός των ταμείων κοινωνικής ασφάλισης και των δημόσιων οργανισμών παροχής υπηρεσιών υγείας ως επιχειρήσεων, κατά την εφαρμογή του ευρωπαϊκού δικαίου για την εσωτερική αγορά, τις κρατικές ενισχύσεις και τον ανταγωνισμό, στη νομική φύση των συμπράξεων. Τα τελευταία χρόνια η κοινωνική ασφάλιση και οι κοινωνικές υπηρεσίες αποτελούν το αντικείμενο συζητήσεων και προβληματισμού, κυρίως επειδή η επιδίωξη μεγαλύτερης συμμετοχής του ιδιωτικού τομέα εντείνει τις δυσκολίες στην εφαρμογή των κανόνων για την εσωτερική αγορά, τον ανταγωνισμό και τις κρατικές ενισχύσεις και δημόσιες συμβάσεις.
Από την ανάλυση της νομοθεσίας και της νομολογίας του ΔΕΚ προκύπτουν τα εξής: Στα κοινωνικά συστήματα προστασίας της υγείας η καθολική πρόσβαση, δηλαδή η αλληλεγγύη δεν έχει σχέση αυτό καθεαυτό με την παροχή των ιατρικών υπηρεσιών, αλλά με την ασφαλιστική ή φορολογική κάλυψη του κινδύνου. Επομένως, θα πρέπει να διαχωρίζεται η ασφαλιστική δραστηριότητα από την υγειοπροστατευτική. Η ασφαλιστική δραστηριότητα κινείται εκτός του ευρωπαϊκού δικαίου για την εσωτερική αγορά και τον ανταγωνισμό, εφόσον προέχει η κοινωνική αλληλεγγύη και ο κρατικός έλεγχος. Οι ιατρικές υπηρεσίες μπορεί να παρέχονται και από τον δημόσιο και από τον ιδιωτικό τομέα. Στην περίπτωση αυτή η τυχόν προνομιακή μεταχείριση του δημόσιου τομέα ή των ιδιωτικών φορέων που διαχειρίζονται το σύστημα για λογαριασμό του στο μέτρο που δεν δικαιολογείται με βάση το άρθρο 86 παρ. 2 ΣΕΚ θίγει τον ανταγωνισμό. Υποστηρίζω ότι η φύση της υγειοπροστατευτικής δραστηριότητας και ο σκοπός της παροχής υψηλής ποιότητας υπηρεσιών υγείας με ανεκτό δημοσιονομικά κόστος επιβάλλουν την επεξεργασία και εισαγωγή ιδιαίτερου θεσμικού πλαισίου για τις συμπράξεις του δημόσιου, του κοινωνικού και του ιδιωτικού τομέα των υπηρεσιών υγείας.
We present the clinical and radiographic outcomes of the cementless low-contact-stress (LCS) rotating-platform total knee arthroplasty. Overall, 423 prostheses were implanted in 393 consecutive patients (30 patients had bilateral total knee replacement) for primary varus gonarthrosis (381 patients) and rheumatoid arthritis (12 patients). There were 81 men and 312 women with a mean age of 73 years (range, 58-85 years). Patella replacement was not performed in any case. Clinical and radiographic evaluation was performed using the Knee Society Score (KSS) and the Knee Society Assessment Form, respectively. The mean follow-up was 10 years (range, 5-15 years). Three patients were lost to follow-up. Survival of the prostheses was 98% at 10 years; three prostheses required revision for deep infection, bearing dislocation, and periprosthetic fracture. The mean KSS improved significantly, from 42 and 44 points preoperatively to 90 and 79 points, respectively, at the latest evaluation (P < 0.001); results were excellent in 278 cases, good in 106, fair in 27, and poor in nine. Radiolucent lines were observed in 80 cases; revision arthroplasty was not performed in any of these cases. Complications included deep infection in one patient, bearing dislocation in one, skin necrosis in four, and a supracondylar fracture in one. The cementless LCS rotating-platform total knee arthroplasty is associated with excellent mid- and long-term results for patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis of the knee.
A series of 2-oxoamides based on dipeptides and pseudodipeptides were synthesized and their activities towards two human intracellular phospholipases A2 (GIVA cPLA2 and GVIA iPLA2) and one human secretory phospholipase A2 (GV sPLA2) were evaluated. Derivatives containing a free carboxyl group are selective GIVA cPLA2 inhibitors. A derivative based on the ethyl ester of an ether pseudodipeptide is the first 2-oxoamide, which preferentially inhibits GVIA iPLA2. The effect of 2-oxoamides on the generation of arachidonic acid from RAW 264.7 macrophages was also studied and it was found that selective GIVA cPLA2 inhibitors preferentially inhibited cellular arachidonic acid release; one pseudodipeptide gave an IC50 value of 2 μM.
The aim of this study was to examine differences in intrinsic motivation and perceived academic competence as well as in their association between 5th- and 6th-grade students with learning disabilities (LD) (n = 40) and their typically achieving peers. Participants were 980 Greek elementary students from the metropolitan area of Athens. As predicted, students with LD showed lower intrinsic motivation and perceived academic competence than students without LD almost across all subscales. Exceptions were noticed in intrinsic motivation concerning curiosity/interest and history subscales as well as perceptions of academic competence in the subjects of history and science. Support was found that among typically achieving students intrinsic motivation was positively and significantly related at a moderate level to perceived academic competence across all subscales, as opposed to students with LD, for whom few correlations were found.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the acute effect of drop jumping on throwing performance. Eight men and 8 women, moderately trained subjects with basic shot put skills, performed 3 squat underhand front shot throws after a short standard warm-up. Three minutes later they performed 5 maximal consecutive drop jumps from 40 cm. Immediately after the drop jumps, they repeated the squat underhand front shot throws. On another day, their 6 repetition maximum (RM) muscular strength in leg press was assessed. Muscle biopsies were also obtained from vastus lateralis for the determination of fiber-type composition and fiber cross-sectional area. Throwing performance was significantly increased after drop jumping (8.25 +/- 1.1 m vs. 8.63 +/- 1.3 m, p < 0.01). The percentage of type II muscle fiber area was significantly related to the increase in throwing performance after drop jumping (r = 0.76, p < 0.01). The increase in throwing performance was significant in men (8.94 +/- 1 m vs. 9.60 +/- 0.9 m, p < 0.01) but not in women (7.56 +/- 1 m vs. 7.67 +/- 0.9 m, ns). Of note, the percentage of type II fiber area was higher in men than in women (M: 66.4 +/- 13%, F: 50.2 +/- 15%, p < 0.01). Leg press strength (6RM) was moderately related to the increase in throwing performance after drop jumping (r = 0.50, p < 0.05). These results suggest that drop jumping just before a throwing action induces an increase in performance in subjects with a high percentage of type II muscle fiber area and (to a lesser degree) in subjects with enhanced muscular strength.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of vasomotor and mood symptoms on insomnia in postmenopausal women. METHODS: One hundred sixty-three postmenopausal women, not receiving hormone therapy, attending a menopause clinic at the University of Athens, Greece, were included in this cross-sectional study. Climacteric symptoms were assessed by Greene's scale, whereas psychological morbidity was measured by Zung Self-Assessment Depression Scale, Symptom Checklist-90-R, and Athens Insomnia Scale. RESULTS: Vasomotor symptoms were significantly associated with insomnia (P = 0.001). When depressive symptomatology was added to the logistic regression analysis, the predictive ability of the model was significantly improved as defined by the increase in the log likelihood (P < 0.001) and the increase in the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. CONCLUSIONS: Insomnia in postmenopausal women attending a menopause clinic is related both to the effects of vasomotor symptoms and depressive symptomatology. Mood symptoms seem to affect sleep independently of vasomotor symptoms, suggesting that depression should be carefully assessed and treated in postmenopausal women with insomnia.
CONTEXT: Higher adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet is linked to lower risk for mortality and chronic diseases, but its association with cognitive decline is unclear.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of a Mediterranean diet with change in cognitive performance and risk for dementia in elderly French persons.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective cohort study of 1410 adults (> or = 65 years) from Bordeaux, France, included in the Three-City cohort in 2001-2002 and reexamined at least once over 5 years. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet (scored as 0 to 9) was computed from a food frequency questionnaire and 24-hour recall.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cognitive performance was assessed on 4 neuropsychological tests: the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Isaacs Set Test (IST), Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT), and Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT). Incident cases of dementia (n = 99) were validated by an independent expert committee of neurologists.
RESULTS: Adjusting for age, sex, education, marital status, energy intake, physical activity, depressive symptomatology, taking 5 medications/d or more, apolipoprotein E genotype, cardiovascular risk factors, and stroke, higher Mediterranean diet score was associated with fewer MMSE errors (beta = -0.006; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.01 to -0.0003; P = .04 for 1 point of the Mediterranean diet score). Performance on the IST, BVRT, or FCSRT over time was not significantly associated with Mediterranean diet adherence. Greater adherence as a categorical variable (score 6-9) was not significantly associated with fewer MMSE errors and better FCSRT scores in the entire cohort, but among individuals who remained free from dementia over 5 years, the association for the highest compared with the lowest group was significant (adjusted for all factors, for MMSE: beta = -0.03; 95% CI, -0.05 to -0.001; P = .04; for FCSRT: beta = 0.21; 95% CI, 0.008 to 0.41; P =.04). Mediterranean diet adherence was not associated with the risk for incident dementia (fully adjusted model: hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.60 to 2.10; P = .72), although power to detect a difference was limited.
CONCLUSIONS: Higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with slower MMSE cognitive decline but not consistently with other cognitive tests. Higher adherence was not associated with risk for incident dementia.
Extant pharmacological options for motor conversion disorder include mainly antidepressants and benzodiazepines. We report on the case of a 42-year-old female patient with frequent daily episodes of almost complete paralysis for the last 6 months resistant to an escitalopram-lorazepam combination at adequate doses. By contrast, the adjunctive administration of low-dose amisulpride at 200 mg/d to the patient's regimen resulted in her substantial and durable improvement. We hypothesize that low-dose amisulpride, acting as a selective antagonist of D2 and D3 dopamine autoreceptors, might reverse the decreased activity of frontal and subcortical dopaminergic circuits presumably involved in motor control during hysterical paralysis.
The new Environmental Seismic Intensity scale (ESI 2007), introduced by INQUA, incorporates the advances and achievements of palaeoseismology and earthquake geology and evaluates earthquake size and epicentre solely from the earthquake environmental effects (EEE). This scale is tested and compared with traditional existing scales for the 1981 Alkyonides earthquake sequence in the Corinth Gulf (Ms=6.7, Ms=6.4, Ms=6.3), the 1993 Pyrgos event (Ms=5.5) and the 2006 Kythira event (Mw=6.7). These earthquakes were of different magnitudes, focal mechanisms and focal depths and produced well-documented environmental effects. The ESI 2007 intensity values and the isoseismal pattern for the 1993 Pyrgos and the 2006 Kythira events are similar to those resulting from the traditional scales, demonstrating that for moderate intensity levels (VII and VIII) the ESI 2007 and the traditional scales comply well. In contrast, the 1981 Alkyonides earthquake sequence shows that there is an inconsistency between the ESI 2007 and the traditional scales both in the epicentral area, where higher ESI 2007 intensity values have been assigned, and for the far-field effects. The ESI 2007 scale offers higher objectivity in the process of assessing macroseismic intensities, particularly in the epicentral area, than traditional intensity scales that are influenced by human parameters. The ESI 2007 scale follows the same criteria-environmental effects for all events and can compare not only events from different settings, but also contemporary and future earthquakes with historical events. A reappraisal of historical earthquakes so as to constrain the ESI 2007 scale may prove beneficial for seismic hazard assessment by reducing the uncertainty implied in the attenuation laws, which constitute one of the most important seismic hazard parameters.
Thirty New Zealand white rabbits underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in their right knees; 15 animals underwent a double-bundle anatomic ACL reconstruction using the medial third of the patellar tendon and the semitendinosus tendon. Additionally, 15 animals underwent ACL reconstruction, using a single-bundle semitendinosus tendon autograft. The knees of both groups were evaluated with a device similar to the KT1000 arthrometer onto which a dial indicator was attached (Mitutoyo dial indicator 2050) in 30 degrees and 90 degrees of flexion, preoperatively, after ACL resection and 3 months postoperatively. Statistical analysis of the results revealed that for 90 degrees of knee flexion, the mean estimated anterior shift for the double-bundle technique was 1.92 mm lesser than that of the single-bundle technique (P = 0.006). For 30 degrees of knee flexion, the mean anterior shift was again lesser than that of the single-bundle technique by 0.66 mm, but this difference was not statistically significant. The described double-bundle ACL reconstruction technique resulted in a more stable knee as far as the anterior tibial shift was concerned as compared to a single-bundle ACL reconstruction. This animal model may be potentially useful in the future for the study of other parameters influencing the outcome of the double-bundle ACL reconstruction.
Angiogenesis represents an essential step of disease progression in several hematological malignancies. In Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) the bone marrow microvessel density is increased in 30%-40% of patients but seems to have no impact on survival. Angiogenic cytokines, such as angiogenin, vascular endothelial growth factor, and basic fibroblast growth factor are increased in the serum of WM or IgM-MGUS patients, while the ratio of angiopoietin-1/ angiopoietin-2 is reduced in WM but not in IgM-monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Angiogenin and angiopoietin-1/angiopoietin-2 ratio correlates with disease activity and clinical features of WM. Macrophage and mast-cell chemoattractants, such as macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha are also elevated in the serum of patients with WM, while both macrophages and mast cells that are increased in the WM microenvironment have angiogenic properties and participate in the angiogenesis process in several malignancies. This review summarizes all data available by November 2008 (end of literature search) for the role of angiogenesis in the biology of WM and its correlation with clinical and laboratory features of the disease.
Cardiac contractility is regulated through the activity of various key Ca(2+)-handling proteins. The sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) transport ATPase (SERCA2a) and its inhibitor phospholamban (PLN) control the uptake of Ca(2+) by SR membranes during relaxation. Recently, the antiapoptotic HS-1-associated protein X-1 (HAX-1) was identified as a binding partner of PLN, and this interaction was postulated to regulate cell apoptosis. In the current study, we determined that HAX-1 can also bind to SERCA2. Deletion mapping analysis demonstrated that amino acid residues 575-594 of SERCA2's nucleotide binding domain are required for its interaction with the C-terminal domain of HAX-1, containing amino acids 203-245. In transiently cotransfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells, recombinant SERCA2 was specifically targeted to the ER, whereas HAX-1 selectively concentrated at mitochondria. On triple transfections with PLN, however, HAX-1 massively translocated to the ER membranes, where it codistributed with PLN and SERCA2. Overexpression of SERCA2 abrogated the protective effects of HAX-1 on cell survival, after hypoxia/reoxygenation or thapsigargin treatment. Importantly, HAX-1 overexpression was associated with down-regulation of SERCA2 expression levels, resulting in significant reduction of apparent ER Ca(2+) levels. These findings suggest that HAX-1 may promote cell survival through modulation of SERCA2 protein levels and thus ER Ca(2+) stores.
Growing evidence suggests the involvement of glutamate in mood disorders and in the response to antidepressants. However, there is no information regarding a hypothesized sex-dependent glutamatergic modulation following treatment in animal models of depression. We comparatively assayed in male and female Flinders and control Sprague-Dawley rats glutamate and aspartate tissue levels in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and nucleus accumbens following 14-day treatment with either 10mg/kg clomipramine or mirtazapine, intraperitoneally. Clomipramine increased cortical glutamate in both sexes and hippocampal glutamate only in female Flinders rodents. Mirtazapine had no effect on cortical glutamate content but increased hippocampal glutamate in both Flinders sexes. Neither mirtazapine nor clomipramine altered glutamate levels in the nucleus accumbens. There were no any significant differences in aspartate levels. However, in control male SD rats clomipramine and mirtazapine significantly decreased cortical aspartate levels. Our results indicate that two different types of established antidepressants induce a brain region-specific effect on glutamate content. This effect is also characterized by sex-dependent differences mainly in the hippocampus, highlighting a differentiated response of glutamate to distinct antidepressants.
Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and will become increasingly prevalent with the growing elderly population. Despite established clinical diagnostic tools, the workup for dementia among primary caregivers can be complicated and specialist referral may not be readily available. A host of AD diagnostic tests has been proposed to aid in diagnosis, including functional neuroimaging such as positron emission tomography (PET). We review the basis for FDG-PET and PiB-PET, as well as available operating statistics. From this we advise scenarios for use of PET in primary settings and referral centers, approach to its interpretation, and outline a clinical prediction model based on findings.
BACKGROUND: The evaluation of academic research performance is nowadays a priority issue. Bibliometric indicators such as the number of publications, total citation counts and h-index are an indispensable tool in this task but their inherent association with the size of the research output may result in rewarding high production when evaluating institutions of disparate sizes. The aim of this study is to propose an indicator that may facilitate the comparison of institutions of disparate sizes. METHODS: The Modified Impact Index (MII) was defined as the ratio of the observed h-index (h) of an institution over the h-index anticipated for that institution on average, given the number of publications (N) it produces i.e. MII = h/10alphaNbeta (alpha and beta denote the intercept and the slope, respectively, of the line describing the dependence of the h-index on the number of publications in log10 scale). MII values higher than 1 indicate that an institution performs better than the average, in terms of its h-index. Data on scientific papers published during 2002-2006 and within 36 medical fields for 219 Academic Medical Institutions from 16 European countries were used to estimate alpha and beta and to calculate the MII of their total and field-specific production. RESULTS: From our biomedical research data, the slope beta governing the dependence of h-index on the number of publications in biomedical research was found to be similar to that estimated in other disciplines ( approximately 0.4). The MII was positively associated with the average number of citations/publication (r = 0.653, p < 0.001), the h-index (r = 0.213, p = 0.002), the number of publications with > or = 100 citations (r = 0.211, p = 0.004) but not with the number of publications (r = -0.020, p = 0.765). It was the most highly associated indicator with the share of country-specific government budget appropriations or outlays for research and development as % of GDP in 2004 (r = 0.229) followed by the average number of citations/publication (r = 0.153) whereas the corresponding correlation coefficient for the h-index was close to 0 (r = 0.029). MII was calculated for first 10 top-ranked European universities in life sciences and biomedicine, as provided by Times Higher Education ranking system, and their total and field-specific performance was compared. CONCLUSION: The MII should complement the use of h-index when comparing the research output of institutions of disparate sizes. It has a conceptual interpretation and, with the data provided here, can be computed for the total research output as well as for field-specific publication sets of institutions in biomedicine.
Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a significant risk factor for the presence and increased severity of asthma- and allergy-related symptoms in children. Smoking during pregnancy has detrimental effects on asthma-associated outcomes in childhood. Whether passive exposure of pregnant women to ETS may also lead to asthma in their offspring, is not known. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of passive exposure of pregnant women to ETS and asthma- and/or allergy-related symptoms in Preschool children. Cross-sectional data were collected with questionnaires from 2374 Preschool children, recruited from public and private nurseries and day-care centers. Parental smoking was significantly associated with wheezing symptoms in their children. Mother's active smoking during pregnancy significantly increased the risk for occurrence of asthma symptoms and/or medically diagnosed asthma in Preschool children in a dose-dependent manner. Passive exposure to ETS, mainly during the third trimester of pregnancy, was significantly associated with asthma- and allergy-related symptoms after adjusting for several confounders in a multivariate analysis (current wheeze: OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.06-1.91, pruritic rash ever: OR= 1.45, 95% CI = 1.01-2.08). Passive exposure of pregnant women to ETS during the third trimester is positively associated with asthma- and allergy-related symptoms in their Preschool age children. Public health policies should be oriented not only towards smoking cessation, but also reinforce elimination of ETS exposure of pregnant women.
Objectives: Based on the Achievement Goal perspective [Dweck, C. S., Leggett, E. L (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95, 256-273; Nicholls, J.G. (1984). Achievement motivation: conceptions of ability, subjective experience, task choice, and performance. Psychological Review, 91, 328-346] and on Pekrun et al.'s [(2004). Beyond test anxiety: development and validation of the test emotions questionnaire (TEQ). Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 17, 287-316] model of discrete class-related emotions, this study investigated the relation of achievement goals to discrete emotions in the Physical Education (PE) class. Design: Cross-sectional. Method: Participants were 319 Greek upper elementary school students who responded to a set of questionnaires assessing their achievement goal orientation, perceived competence, and the class-related emotions they experienced in the PE classes. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses showed that, after controlling for perceived competence and gender differences, task goals were positively related to positive activating emotions and negatively related to negative emotions. Ego goals exhibited a mixed picture as they were positively associated with pride and all the negative emotions. Furthermore, the relations between ego goals and emotions were qualified by an ego by task goal and by an ego by perceived competence interaction suggesting that ego goals were especially linked to emotional maladjustment when task goals were low and when competence perceptions were high rather than low. Conclusion: Unique associations between task and ego goals and specific emotions were found, rendering insightful the disentanglement of positive and negative emotions into its components. The pursuit of task goals might help to counteract the emotional burden associated with ego goal pursuit whereas feeling competent to outperform when one endorses ego goals might perhaps put extra pressure on the pupils and, hence, have negative implications for their emotional adjustment. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Iron oxide Ferromagnetic Nanoparticles (FNs) such as magnetite (Fe3O4) and maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3) are currently employed in biomedical applications owing to their relatively high biocompatibility. Recently, we have introduced a novel application of Fe3O4 FNs in the so-called Magnetically Assisted Haemodialysis (MAHD), a promising concept that can be employed for the treatment of End-Stage Renal Disease. The key characteristic of MAHD is the selective removal of toxins that cannot be removed by current low-and high-flux dialysers that are extendedly used during conventional Haemodialysis (HD). In addition, MAHD could enable the more efficient removal of all toxins when compared to conventional HD so that the duration of dialysis session could be decreased. This is an important benefit that could significantly improve the quality of life of patient. The present work focuses on the in vitro evaluation of the biocompatibility of both bare Fe3O4 FNs and Fe3O4-Bovine Serum Albumin Conjugates (Fe3O4-BSA Cs) with blood cells, namely Red Blood Cells (RBCs), White Blood Cells (WBCs) and Platelets (Plts). Their solubility in whole human blood medium is also carefully evaluated. Both issues are fundamental for the MAHD application since the latter is based on the intravenous injection of FN Cs into the bloodstream of the patient. Atomic force microscopy and optical microscopy were employed for the investigation of both surface characteristics and overall morphology of blood cells, respectively. Samples of donated blood, where bare Fe3O4 FNs or Fe3O4-BSA Cs were added, were maturated under mild incubation for durations up to 120 min. We investigated two representative temperatures, T=20 degrees C owing to easy experimental realization, and T=37 degrees C trying to simulate human body conditions. We did not observe noticeable interference of either bare Fe3O4 FNs or Fe3O4-BSA Cs with RBCs, WBCs and Plts. More importantly we did not observe any degradation of the surface of RBCs and WBCs that were maturated under the presence of bare FNs or Cs in concentrations that strongly exceed the ones used for the treatment of iron-deficiency anaemia. Incidents where either bare FNs or Cs were bound onto the surface of RBCs or internalised by WBCs were very rare. Our observations suggest high biocompatibility of both bare Fe3O4 FNs and Fe3O4-BSA Cs with blood cells, while the solubility depends on the BSA content of the Fe3O4-BSA Cs.
AIM: While clinical endpoints provide important information on the efficacy of treatment in controlled conditions, they often are not relevant to decision makers trying to gauge the potential economic impact or value of new treatments. Therefore, it is often necessary to translate changes in cognition, function or behavior into changes in cost or other measures, which can be problematic if not conducted in a transparent manner. The Dependence Scale (DS), which measures the level of assistance a patient requires due to AD-related deficits, may provide a useful measure of the impact of AD progression in a way that is relevant to patients, providers and payers, by linking clinical endpoints to estimates of cost effectiveness or value. The aim of this analysis was to test the association of the DS to clinical endpoints and AD-related costs.
METHOD: The relationship between DS score and other endpoints was explored using the Predictors Study, a large, multi-center cohort of patients with probable AD followed annually for four years. Enrollment required a modified Mini-Mental State Examination (mMMS) score >or= 30, equivalent to a score of approximately >or= 16 on the MMSE. DS summated scores (range: 0- 15) were compared to measures of cognition (MMSE), function (Blessed Dementia Rating Scale, BDRS, 0-17), behavior, extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), and psychotic symptoms (illusions, delusions or hallucinations). Also, estimates for total cost (sum of direct medical cost, direct non-medical cost, and cost of informal caregivers' time) were compared to DS scores.
RESULTS: For the 172 patients in the analysis, mean baseline scores were: DS: 5.2 (SD: 2.0), MMSE: 23.0 (SD: 3.5), BDRS: 2.9 (SD: 1.3), EPS: 10.8%, behavior: 28.9% psychotic symptoms: 21.1%. After 4 years, mean scores were: DS: 8.9 (SD: 2.9), MMSE: 17.2 (SD: 4.7), BDRS: 5.2 (SD: 1.4), EPS: 37.5%, behavior: 60.0%, psychotic symptoms: 46.7%. At baseline, DS scores were significantly correlated with MMSE (r=-0.299, p < 0.01), BDRS (r=0.610, p < 0.01), behavior (r=.2633, p=0.0005), EPS (r=0.1910, p=0.0137) and psychotic symptoms (r=0.253, p < 0.01); and at 4-year follow-up, DS scores were significantly correlated with MMSE (r=-0.3705, p=0.017), BDRS (r=0.6982, p < 0.001). Correlations between DS and behavior (-0.0085, p=0.96), EPS (r=0.3824, p=0.0794), psychotic symptoms (r=0.130, ns) were not statistically significant at follow-up. DS scores were also significantly correlated with total costs at baseline (r=0.2615, p=0.0003) and follow-up (r=0.3359, p=0.0318).
DISCUSSION: AD is associated with deficits in cognition, function and behavior, thus it is imperative that these constructs are assessed in trials of AD treatment. However, assessing multiple endpoints can lead to confusion for decision makers if treatments do not impact all endpoints similarly, especially if the measures are not used typically in practice. One potential method for translating these deficits into a more meaningful outcome would be to identify a separate construct, one that takes a broader view of the overall impact of the disease. Patient dependence, as measured by the DS, would appear to be a reasonable choice - it is associated with the three clinical endpoints, as well as measures of cost (medical and informal), thereby providing a bridge between measures of clinical efficacy and value in a single, transparent measure.
Rhinoviruses (RVs) are responsible for the majority of acute asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. RVs infect the lower airways and induce the production of pro-inflammatory and remodelling-associated mediators. Budesonide (BUD) and formoterol (FORM) synergize in controlling asthma and COPD exacerbations; however, their effects on virus-induced inflammation and remodelling are less known.|We investigated whether BUD and FORM synergize in suppressing RV-induced inflammation and remodelling in the airways.|In vitro models of RV infection of BEAS-2B and primary normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells were used. We assessed the effects of individual and combined drugs administered post-infection, at a clinically relevant concentration range (10(-6)-10(-10) m), on the production of CCL5, CXCL10, CXCL8, IL-6 and the remodelling-associated VEGF and bFGF, using ELISA and RT-PCR.|BUD effectively suppressed RV-mediated induction of all mediators studied, in a concentration-dependent manner. FORM alone suppressed the production of CXCL8 and bFGF. The combination of BUD and FORM had concentration-dependent, additive or synergistic effects in the suppression of RV-induced CCL5, CXCL8 and CXCL10 in both cell types as well as VEGF in NHBE only. Combination treatment also resulted in an enhanced suppression of RV-induced IL-6, and CCL5 at the mRNA level as compared with BUD or FORM alone.|BUD and FORM suppress RV-induced chemokines and growth factors in bronchial epithelial cells in a concentration-dependent, synergistic or additive manner. These data further support the combined use of BUD and FORM in asthma and COPD and intensification of this therapy during exacerbations.
A new catalog of visual double systems containing eclipsing binaries as one component is presented. The main purpose of this catalog is to compile a complete list of all known multiples of this variety, both for current analysis and to highlight those in need of additional observations. All available photometric and astrometric data were analyzed, resulting in new orbits for eight systems and new times of minimum light for a number of the eclipsing binaries. Some of the systems in the catalog have acceptable solutions for their visual orbits, although in most cases their orbital periods are too long for simultaneous analysis. Also included, however, are a number of systems which currently lack an orbital solution but which may be suitable for simultaneous analysis in the future.
We present the most likely optical counterparts of 113 X-ray sources detected in our Chandra survey of the central region of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) based on the OGLE-II and Magellanic Clouds Photometric Survey catalogs. We estimate that the foreground contamination and chance coincidence probability are minimal for the bright optical counterparts (corresponding to OB type stars; 35 in total). We propose here for the first time 13 high-mass X-ray binaries, of which four are Be/X-ray binaries (Be-XRBs), and we confirm the previous classification of 18 Be-XRBs. We estimate that the new candidate Be-XRBs have an age of ~15-85 Myr, consistent with the age of Be stars. We also examine the "overabundance" of Be-XRBs in the SMC fields covered by Chandra, in comparison with the Galaxy. In luminosities down to ~1034 erg s-1, we find that SMC Be-XRBs are ~1.5 times more common when compared to the Milky Way even after taking into account the difference in the formation rates of OB stars. This residual excess can be attributed to the lower metallicity of the SMC. Finally, we find that the mixing of Be-XRBs with other than their natal stellar population is not an issue in our comparisons of Be-XRBs and stellar populations in the SMC. Instead, we find indication for variation of the SMC XRB populations on kiloparsec scales, related to local variations of the formation rate of OB stars and slight variation of their age, which results in different relative numbers of Be stars and therefore XRBs.
Muscular adaptation which occurs following eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage has been associated with changes in the mechanical properties of muscle manifested as a shift in the length-tension relationship towards longer muscle lengths. However, it is not clear whether this shift is a long term adaptation to eccentric exercise. The purpose of this study was to investigate functional adaptations to skeletal muscle damage in humans, tracking such responses several days into muscle recovery. Ten healthy young men performed an eccentric exercise protocol involving the quadriceps muscle and functional measurements were performed before and on days 1, 2, 5, 8, 12 and 16 post-exercise. Blood samples were also withdrawn before and at 6 h, and 2 days, 5 days and 16 days post-exercise. The exercise protocol resulted in muscle damage, indicated by changes in clinical markers including increased serum creatine kinase activity and muscle soreness compared to pre-exercise levels (p<0.05-0.001). An acute, but not sustained shift in the quadriceps isokinetic and isometric angle-torque curves towards longer muscle lengths was observed post-exercise (p<0.05). It was speculated that the functional adaptations following eccentric exercise might be affected by the short resting and functional length of the quadriceps muscle, relative to its optimum. More studies are needed to confirm the hypothesis that a sustained shift in the muscle's length-tension relationship, as an adaptation after lengthening contraction-induced damage, is muscle specific.
Muscular adaptation which occurs following eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage has been associated with changes in the mechanical properties of muscle manifested as a shift in the length-tension relationship towards longer muscle lengths. However, it is not clear whether this shift is a long term adaptation to eccentric exercise. The purpose of this study was to investigate functional adaptations to skeletal muscle damage in humans, tracking such responses several days into muscle recovery. Ten healthy young men performed an eccentric exercise protocol involving the quadriceps muscle and functional measurements were performed before and on days 1, 2, 5, 8, 12 and 16 post-exercise. Blood samples were also withdrawn before and at 6 h, and 2 days, 5 days and 16 days post-exercise. The exercise protocol resulted in muscle damage, indicated by changes in clinical markers including increased serum creatine kinase activity and muscle soreness compared to pre-exercise levels (p<0.05-0.001). An acute, but not sustained shift in the quadriceps isokinetic and isometric angle-torque curves towards longer muscle lengths was observed post-exercise (p<0.05). It was speculated that the functional adaptations following eccentric exercise might be affected by the short resting and functional length of the quadriceps muscle, relative to its optimum. More studies are needed to confirm the hypothesis that a sustained shift in the muscle's length-tension relationship, as an adaptation after lengthening contraction-induced damage, is muscle specific.
Muscular adaptation which occurs following eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage has been associated with changes in the mechanical properties of muscle manifested as a shift in the length-tension relationship towards longer muscle lengths. However, it is not clear whether this shift is a long term adaptation to eccentric exercise. The purpose of this study was to investigate functional adaptations to skeletal muscle damage in humans, tracking such responses several days into muscle recovery. Ten healthy young men performed an eccentric exercise protocol involving the quadriceps muscle and functional measurements were performed before and on days 1, 2, 5, 8, 12 and 16 post-exercise. Blood samples were also withdrawn before and at 6 h, and 2 days, 5 days and 16 days post-exercise. The exercise protocol resulted in muscle damage, indicated by changes in clinical markers including increased serum creatine kinase activity and muscle soreness compared to pre-exercise levels (p<0.05-0.001). An acute, but not sustained shift in the quadriceps isokinetic and isometric angle-torque curves towards longer muscle lengths was observed post-exercise (p<0.05). It was speculated that the functional adaptations following eccentric exercise might be affected by the short resting and functional length of the quadriceps muscle, relative to its optimum. More studies are needed to confirm the hypothesis that a sustained shift in the muscle's length-tension relationship, as an adaptation after lengthening contraction-induced damage, is muscle specific.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to estimate circulating oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) levels in postmenopausal women and evaluate their association with obesity and smoking status.
DESIGN AND METHODS: The study included 135 postmenopausal women aged 52-75 years. Forty of them were overweight (BMI 32.4+/-6.4) and non-smokers (Group A), 40 non-overweight (BMI 22.6+/-1.8) and smokers (Group B) and 55 non-overweight (BMI 23.5+/-1.4) and non-smokers (Group C). oxLDL and antibodies against them (anti-oxLDL) were measured using ELISA. Serum total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides were measured in an automated analyzer.
RESULTS: Total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and oxLDL serum levels were significantly elevated in Group A as compared to Group B or C, as well as oxLDL in Group B in comparison to Group C (p<0.001). Triglycerides and anti-oxLDL were increased in Group A in comparison to Group C (p=0.043 and 0.023). Total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides and anti-oxLDL did not differ between Groups B and C, while HDL was decreased in Group B as compared to Group C (p<0.001). A significant positive correlation was found between oxLDL and LDL in Group A (r=0.53, p<0.001) as well as in Group C (r=0.955, p
BACKGROUND: Oxaliplatin has become one of the major cytotoxic agents for the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors. As a result, several cases of the so-called oxaliplatin-associated hypersensitivity reaction have been documented.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: We have retrospectively evaluated and characterized these reactions in our patient group by reviewing the files of 1,224 patients exposed to an oxaliplatin-containing regimen in order to provide useful clinical information for diagnosis and management.
RESULTS: Three hundred and eight (308) patients who have never been exposed to platinum compounds developed symptoms compatible with a reaction to oxaliplatin that was verified by manifestation of at least similar symptoms on rechallenging. The reactions occurred after the first 5 courses, with a median course number of 9 (range 1-24). These reactions could be distinguished as (1) mild reactions occurring in 195 (63%) patients manifesting with itching and small area erythema either during treatment or within the next hours, and (2) severe reactions occurring in 113 (37%) patients within minutes of drug infusion manifesting with diffuse erythroderma, facial swelling, chest tightness, bronchospasm and changes in blood pressure. Oxaliplatin withdrawal was not required in patients with a mild reaction. Forty-eight (42%) patients having a severe reaction with appropriate premedication and prolongation of the infusion duration could tolerate 2-4 subsequent courses. For the remaining 65 (58%) patients, oxaliplatin withdrawal was inevitable because of the very severe reactions occurring on rechallenging. In addition, 3 patients presented with thrombocytopenia and 3 others with hemolytic anemia, all reversible upon oxaliplatin discontinuation.
CONCLUSIONS: Hypersensitivity reactions to oxaliplatin are underestimated. Although the reactions are not frequent during first courses, in extensively pretreated patients, they may become a serious problem. In the majority of patients, drug discontinuation might not be necessary. In patients manifesting a severe reaction, re-exposure to oxaliplatin should be considered only if the patient can tolerate the reaction and there has been clinical benefit from this therapy. Physicians and nursing staff should be aware of the risk and be well prepared.
Spargias K, Adreanides E, Demerouti E, Gkouziouta A, Manginas A, Pavlides G, Voudris V, Cokkinos DV. CLINICAL PERSPECTIVE. Circulation. 2009;120:1793–1799.
Purpose of investigation: Primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC) is a rare malignancy with only few data existing on the impact of prognostic factors. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 26 patients. Tissue blocks were reviewed and sections were stained for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 (MMP-2, MMP-9), tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases 1 and 2 (TIMP-1, TIMP-2), c-erbB-2, estrogen (ER), and progesterone receptors (PgR). Results: Reactivity for VEGF, ER, PgR, MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-2 and c-erbB-2 was observed in 85%, 46%, 27%, 11.5%, 58%, 0%, 23% and 8% of specimens, respectively. None of the markers studied displayed prognostic significance. Regarding clinical prognostic factors, the hazard ratio (HR) for progression and death for patients with tumor residuum > 2 cm was 5.24 (p < 0.01) and 11.19 (p < 0.005), respectively. Patients with advanced stage disease had a HR of 12.55 (p < 0.05) for progression, while the HR for death was not found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: None of the biomarkers studied seems to influence survival. Early-stage disease and optimal debulking are associated with improved outcome.
The European Union Network for Patient Safety (EUNetPaS) is a project funded and supported by the European Commission within the 2007 Public Health Programme and aims to encourage and enhance the collaboration of participating EU countries in the field of Patient Safety. One of its major objectives is to promote Patient Safety (PS) education and training in Member States, through building a platform for mutual exchange of experience and knowledge on methods of planning and implementing sustainable learning activities. Towards this direction, a methodology has been applied, based on a three axes schema, which describes the roles, the awareness level and the competences of the PS Education and Training Activities. Based on this scheme, a questionnaire has been developed and distributed across EU organizations though National Contact Points, as a tool for information collection. Looking to the above structure, a web-based resource has been developed aiming to facilitate the information collection and sharing, in a truly networking environment.
Star clusters are valuable tools for theoretical and observational astronomy across a wide range of disciplines from cosmology to stellar spectroscopy. For example, properties of globular clusters are used to constrain stellar evolutionary models, nucleosynthesis and chemical evolution, as well as the star formation and assembly histories of galaxies and the distribution of dark matter in present-day galaxies. Open clusters are widely used as stellar laboratories for the study of specific stellar phenomena (e.g., various emission-line stars, pulsating pre-MS stars, magnetic massive stars, binarity, stellar rotation, etc.). They also provide observational constraints on models of massive star evolution and of Galactic disk formation and chemical evolution.
The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and patient discomfort between four techniques for obtaining nasal secretions. Nasal secretions from 58 patients with symptoms of a common cold, from three clinical centers (Amsterdam, Lodz, Oslo), were obtained by four different methods: swab, aspirate, brush, and wash. In each patient all four sampling procedures were performed and patient discomfort was evaluated by a visual discomfort scale (scale 1-5) after each procedure. Single pathogen RT-PCRs for Rhinovirus (RV), Influenza virus and Adenovirus, and multiplex real-time PCR for RV, Enterovirus, Influenza virus, Adenovirus, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Parainfluenza virus, Coronavirus, Metapneumovirus, Bocavirus and Parechovirus were performed in all samples. A specific viral cause of respiratory tract infection was determined in 48 patients (83%). In these, the detection rate for any virus was 88% (wash), 79% (aspirate), 77% (swab) and 74% (brush). The degree of discomfort reported was 2.54 for swabs, 2.63 for washes, 2.68 for aspirates and 3.61 for brushings. Nasal washes yielded the highest rate of viral detection without excessive patient discomfort. In contrast, nasal brushes produced the lowest detection rates and demonstrated the highest level of discomfort.
8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxo-G) is the major lesion of oxidatively generated DNA damage. Despite two decades of intense study, several fundamental properties remain to be defined. Its isoelectronic 8-aminoguanine (8-NH2-G) has also received considerable attention from a biological point of view, although its chemistry involving redox processes remains to be discovered. We investigated the one-electron oxidation and one-electron reduction reactions of 8-oxo-G and 8-NH2-G derivatives. The reactions of hydrated electrons (eaq−) and azide radicals (N3•) with both derivatives were studied by pulse radiolysis techniques, and the transient absorption spectra were assigned to specific tautomers computationally by means of time-dependent DFT (TD-B3LYP/6-311G**//B1B95/6-31+G**) calculations. The protonated electron adducts of 8-NH2-G and 8-oxo-G showed a substantial difference in their absorption spectra, the unpaired electron being mainly delocalized in the imidazolyl ring and in the six-membered ring, respectively. On the other hand, the deprotonated forms of one-electron oxidation of 8-NH2-G and 8-oxo-G showed quite similar spectral characteristics. In a parallel study, the one-electron reduction of 8-azidoguanine (8-N3-G) afforded the same transient of one-electron oxidation of 8-NH2-G, which represents another example of generation of one-electron oxidized guanine derivatives under reducing conditions. Moreover, the fate of transient species was investigated by radiolytic methods coupled with product studies and allowed self- and cross-termination rate constants associated with these reactions to be estimated.
To compare the performance of the reference scaled average bioequivalence(scABE(R)) method proposed by FDA scientists {[}Haidar et al., 2008. Pharm. Res. 25,237-241] with other approaches focusing on the human exposure expressed as the product sample size x periods of drug administration. Simulated bioequivalence studies were generated assuming the partial replicate 3-way crossover design and the classic (2 x 2) crossover design. Intrasubject variability (CV(W)) values ranged from 15% to 60% and sample sizes from 16 to 54. The procedures examined include: the scABER method. the classic 0.80-1.25 approach, a levelling-off scaled BE limit (BELscW), and some other scaled bioequivalence lit-nits. To assess the performance of the aforementioned approaches, the typical as well as novel three-dimensional modified power curves were constructed. A new index, termed %Mean Relative Difference (MRD%). was introduced in order to quantitatively compare the performance of the bioequivalence limits. The recently proposed scABER approach showed the lowest producer risk in particular for highly variable drugs. When exposure was taken into account scABER resulted in a desired behaviour when CV(W) was low. For high CV(W) values the overall performance diminished when geometric mean ratio (GMR) substantially deviated from unity. Application of the MRD% index clearly revealed that the effect of lowering the producer risk at GMR = I was totally Counterbalanced by the rise of consumer risk at high GMR values. The classic 0.80-1.25 limits were favoured at low intrasubject variability and high exposure, whereas the levelling-off limits demonstrated a preferred overall performance when variability was high and exposure was limited. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A comprehensive theoretical study of the optical properties and switching competence of double-shell photonic crystals (DSPC) and doubleinverse-opal photonic crystals (DIOPC) is presented. Our analysis reveals that a DIOPC structure with a silicon (Si) background exhibits a complete photonic bandgap (PBG), which can be completely switched on and off by moving the core spheres inside the air pores of the inverse opal. We show that the size of this switchable PBG assumes a value of 3.78% upon judicious structural optimization, while its existence is almost independent of the radii of the interconnecting cylinders, whose sizes are difficult to control during the fabrication process. The Si-based DIOPC may thus offer a novel and practical route to complete PBG switching and optical functionality.
Zymomonas mobilis is an ethanol-producing alphaproteobacterium currently considered a major candidate organism for bioethanol production. Here we report the finished and annotated genome sequence of Z. mobilis subsp. mobilis strain NCIMB 11163, a British ale-infecting isolate. This is the first Z. mobilis strain whose genome, chromosomal and plasmid, is presented in its entirety.
We confirm a nova candidate in M 31 reported to us by K. Nishiyama and F. Kabashima and present a pre-discovery detection that allows us to tightly constrain the time of outburst for this object. The nova candidate was discovered by Nishiyama and Kabashima (Miyaki-Argenteus observatory, Japan) on 2009 September 3.752 UT, with no object visible at its position on September 1.566 UT (private communication).
BACKGROUND: Vascular factors including medical history (heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension), smoking, and prediagnosis blood lipid measurements (cholesterol: total, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein [LDL-C], and triglyceride concentrations) may be predictors for progression of Alzheimer disease (AD).
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether prediagnosis vascular risk factors are associated with progression of AD.
DESIGN: Inception cohort followed up longitudinally for a mean of 3.5 (up to 10.2) years.
SETTING: Washington Heights/Inwood Columbia Aging Project, New York, New York. Patients One hundred fifty-six patients with incident AD (mean age at diagnosis, 83 years). Main Outcome Measure Change in a composite score of cognitive ability from diagnosis onward.
RESULTS: In generalized estimating equation models (adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, and years of education), higher cholesterol (total cholesterol and LDL-C) concentrations and history of diabetes were associated with faster cognitive decline. Each 10-U increase in cholesterol and LDL-C was associated with a 0.10-SD decrease in cognitive score per year of follow-up (P < .001 for total cholesterol; P = .001 for LDL-C). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were not associated with rate of decline. A history of diabetes was associated with an additional 0.05-SD decrease in cognitive score per year (P = .05). History of heart disease and stroke were associated with cognitive decline only in carriers of the apolipoprotein E epsilon4 (APOE-epsilon4) gene. In a final generalized estimating equation model that included high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and LDL-C concentrations and history of diabetes, only higher LDL-C was independently associated with faster cognitive decline.
CONCLUSION: Higher prediagnosis total cholesterol and LDL-C concentrations and history of diabetes were associated with faster cognitive decline in patients with incident AD, which provides further evidence for the role of vascular risk factors in the course of AD.
The overall performance of a Volleyball team depends on many factors, from which decisive are considered to be the execution of skills that lead immediately to winning or losing the rally. These are lost serves, aces, kill- attacks, attack errors and kill-blocks. The analysis of these skills in relation to team performance, as expressed by the ratio of sets won to the total number of sets, lead to the formation of two new correlates. These are the serving efficiency ratio (SER), defined as the ratio of lost serves to aces, and the attack efficiency ratio (AER), defined as the number of kill attacks divided by the sum of attack errors and kill-blocks. Analysis of the data collected from all the matches of the male A1 volleyball professional league of 2005-2006 in Greece proved that the two efficiency ratios were better predictors of the teams overall performance than the five original variables. The findings lead to clear-cut definitions of norms both for the serving and attack efficiency ratio. The leading teams had a SER of around two and an AER of around three. These criteria are valuable tools especially for Volleyball coaches in deciding for the appropriate tactics of their teams.
The parameter of health economics in the use of any contemporary medical module plays a dominant role in decision making. A prospective nonrandomised comparative study of the direct medical costs on the first attempt of treating aseptic nonunions of tibial fractures, with either autologous-iliac-crest-bone-graft (ICBG) or bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7), is presented. Twenty-seven consecutive patients, who were successfully treated for fracture nonunions, were divided into two groups. Group 1 (n = 12) received ICBG and group 2 (n = 15) received BMP-7. All patients healed their nonunions, and the financial analysis presented represents a best-case scenario. Three out of 12 of the ICBG group required revision surgery while just one out of 15 required it in the BMP-7 group. Average hospital stay was 10.66 vs. 8.66 days, time-to-union 6.9 vs. 5.5 months, hospitals costs pound2,133.6 vs. pound1,733.33, and theatre costs were pound2,413.3 vs. pound906.67 for the ICBG and BMP-7 groups, respectively. The BMP-7 cost was pound3002.2. Fixation-implant was pound696.4 vs. pound592.3, radiology pound570 vs. pound270, outpatient pound495.8 vs. pound223.33, and other costs were pound451.6 vs. pound566.27 for the ICBG and BMP-7 groups, respectively. The average cost of treatment with BMP-7 was 6.78% higher (P = 0.1) than with ICBG, and most of this (41.1%) was related to the actual price of the BMP-7. In addition to the satisfactory efficacy and safety of BMP-7 in comparison to the gold standard of ICBG, as documented in multiple studies, its cost effectiveness is advocated favourably in this analysis.
Konstantinidou AE, Fryssira H, Sifakis S, Karadimas C, Kaminopetros P, Agrogiannis G, Velonis S, Nikkels PGJ, Patsouris E. Cranioectodermal dysplasia: a probable ciliopathy. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A. 2009;149(10):2206-2211.
Dendritic cells (DCs) are major antigen-presenting cells that constitute a link between innate and adaptive immune responses, and are critical in the processes of control and elimination of viral infections. On the other hand, there is a large body of data strongly implicating respiratory viruses in morbidity during infancy through the induction of lower respiratory tract infections, such as bronchiolitis, and later on in childhood and adult life, mainly due to their association with asthma exacerbations. Little is known, however, about the precise role of DCs in human respiratory tract infections. This review focuses on current data, both from in vivo and in vitro studies, that highlight the interplay between DCs and the viral causes of bronchiolitis.
One of the most common cancer types among women is breast cancer. Regular mammographic examinations increase the possibility for early diagnosis and treatment and significantly improve the chance of survival for patients with breast cancer. Keeping an informed and complete patient record is of great importance as the doctor needs this information for every patient examination. The proposed implementation is a patient record system that includes 'smart' algorithms in order to automatically use data from the patient's record to calculate well established epidemiological breast cancer models. A computer-aided diagnosis system is also used in order to analyze each mammogram and obtain a certain risk percentage concerning whether the patient has to undergo biopsy or not. The aforementioned system has been implemented to support a large set of patient data (1,178 patients) which included detailed personal patient data, medical history and examination details per date and is used in the daily clinical practice of a breast cancer diagnostic center facilitating patient record retrieval, storage and supporting the doctor's decisions.
Previous studies showed that high levels of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) DNA are associated with a faster progression to AIDS, an increased risk of death, and a higher risk of HIV RNA rebound in patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy. Our objective was to develop and assess a highly sensitive real-time multiplex PCR assay for the quantification of HIV-1 DNA (RTMP-HIV) based on molecular beacons. HIV-1 DNA quantification was carried out by RTMP in a LightCycler 2.0 apparatus. HIV-1 DNA was quantified in parallel with CCR5 as a reference gene, and reported values are numbers of HIV-1 DNA copies/10(6) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The clinical sensitivity of the assay was assessed for 115 newly diagnosed HIV-1-infected individuals. The analytical sensitivity was estimated to be 12.5 copies of HIV-1 DNA per 10(6) PBMCs, while the clinical sensitivity was 100%, with levels ranging from 1.23 to 4.25 log(10) HIV-1 DNA copies/10(6) PBMCs. In conclusion, we developed and assessed a new RTMP-HIV assay based on molecular beacons, using a LightCycler 2.0 instrument. This multiplex assay has comparable sensitivity, reproducibility, and accuracy to single real-time PCR assays.
OBJECTIVE: The FcgammaRIIa receptor is responsible for the activation of platelets by antibodies in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). The c.497G>A polymorphism in the corresponding FCG2RA gene (H131R) has been implicated in the HIT syndrome and we aimed at its rapid and reliable determination. DESIGN AND METHODS: We designed a novel asymmetric real-time PCR method in the LightCycler that uses two hybridization probes and is followed by melting curve analysis. Seventy-one post-cardiac-surgery HIT Greek patients well ascertained by clinical data, immunological and functional tests (PAT, CD62P-selectin and microparticle flow cytometric detection) were studied, along with a clinically relevant group of 49 thrombocytopenic control patients and 119 healthy subjects. RESULTS: The developed method has excellent analytical characteristics (linear and efficient amplification, precision), has wide DeltaT(m) between the two alleles H and R (11.53 degrees C), and is in 100% concordance with validated controls and another commonly used screening method. The RR percentage increased from 10% in the control populations to 24% in the HIT patient group. CONCLUSION: The described method is technically simple, robust, fast, and accurate. A statistically significant difference was found in the comparison between the groups of HIT patients and healthy subjects [RR vs. RH+ HH, chi(2) test, p=0.01, OR (95% C.I.) 2.81 (1.21-4.68)]. The RR frequency in the Greek population was found to be the lowest among Caucasians
Data concerning the efficacy of PEG-IFN alpha 2a plus ribavirin treatment in treatment-naive, genotype 4-infected chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients from Europe are limited. Hence the aim of this study was to investigate the viral kinetics as well as the sustained virological response (SVR) rates and their predictors, in these patients. One hundred and twenty-three patients were retrospectively analysed. Early (EVR) and late virological response (LVR) was confirmed by undetectable (<50 IU/mL) serum HCV-RNA at week 12 and week 24 of treatment, respectively. SVR was confirmed by undetectable serum HCV-RNA at the end of treatment as well as 6 months later. Overall, 43.5% of patients exhibited SVR, 42.6% were nonresponders and 13.9% were relapsers. EVR was observed in 40.74% and LVR in 59.25% of them. The positive predictive values of EVR and LVR were 72.97% and 86.27% whereas their negative predictive values were 64.29% and 92.85%, respectively. EVR independently predicted SVR in Caucasian patients (P < 0.001) but not in Egyptian patients (P = 0.613), in whom the only independent predictor of SVR was the absence of cirrhosis (P = 0.004). LVR seems to be a better predictor of SVR than EVR in the vast majority of genotype 4-infected CHC patients, irrespective of ethnicity and all the other baseline parameters.
The phospholipase A2 (PLA2) superfamily hydrolyzes phospholipids to release free fatty acids and lysophospholipids, some of which can mediate inflammation and demyelination, hallmarks of the CNS autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis. The expression of two of the intracellular PLA2s (cPLA2 GIVA and iPLA2 GVIA) and two of the secreted PLA2s (sPLA2 GIIA and sPLA2 GV) are increased in different stages of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis. We show using small molecule inhibitors, that cPLA2 GIVA plays a role in the onset, and iPLA2 GVIA in the onset and progression of EAE. We also show a potential role for sPLA2 in the later remission phase. These studies demonstrate that selective inhibition of iPLA2 can ameliorate disease progression when treatment is started before or after the onset of symptoms. The effects of these inhibitors on lesion burden, chemokine and cytokine expression as well as on the lipid profile provide insights into their potential modes of action. iPLA2 is also expressed by macrophages and other immune cells in multiple sclerosis lesions. Our results therefore suggest that iPLA2 might be an excellent target to block for the treatment of CNS autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.
AIMS: To study circulating levels and distribution of adiponectin multimers [low molecular weight (LMW)-, medium molecular weight (MMW)- and high molecular weight (HMW)-adiponectin] in preterm and full-term infants. METHODS: Total serum adiponectin and its multimers were measured in 40 healthy infants at the age of one month and associations with anthropometric parameters [body weight and length, body mass index (BMI)], weight gain and metabolic indices (glucose, insulin) were examined. Twenty of the infants were born preterm (gestational age 33.2+/-1.6 weeks). RESULTS: LMW-adiponectin level and its fractional ratio to total adiponectin were significantly higher in full-term than in preterm infants (P<0.001 and P<0.01, respectively), whereas, MMW-adiponectin level and its ratio were significantly lower (P=0.03 and P=0.01, respectively). HMW-adiponectin did not differ significantly between full-term and preterm infants and accounted for almost 60% of total adiponectin levels in both groups. HMW-adiponectin, but not MMW adiponectin or LMW adiponectin, correlated significantly with anthropometric measurements, similarly to total adiponectin; in addition, HMW adiponectin correlated significantly with weight gain. CONCLUSIONS: HMW adiponectin is the most prevalent form in infants. Circulating levels and distribution of MMW- and LMW-adiponectin differ between full-term and preterm infants, but the role of these adiponectin multimers needs to be studied further.
Division VII gathers astronomers studying the diffuse matter in space between stars, ranging from primordial intergalactic clouds, via dust and neutral and ionized gas in galaxies, to the densest molecular clouds and the processes by which stars are formed.
Kountouris P, Gaitanakis L, Ntozis C, Katsikadelli A.
A simple, safe and cost-effective treatment protocol in ovarian stimulation is of great importance in IVF practice, especially in the case of previous unsuccessful attempts. hCG has been used as a substitute of LH because of the degree of homology between the two hormones. The main aim of this prospective randomized study was to determine, for the first time, whether low dose hCG added to rFSH for ovarian stimulation could produce better results compared to the addition of rLH in women entering IVF-ET, especially in those women that had previous IVF failures. An additional aim was to find an indicator that would allow us to follow-up ovarian stimulation and, possibly, modify it in order to achieve a better IVF outcome; and that indicator may be the cDNA copies of the LH/hCG receptor. Group A patients (n = 58) were administered hCG and Group B rLH (n = 56) in addition to rFSH in the first days of ovarian stimulation. The number of follicles and oocytes and, most importantly, implantation and pregnancy rates were shown to be statistically significantly higher in the hCG group. This study has also determined, for the first time to our best knowledge, m-RNA for LH/hCG receptors in the lymphocytes of peripheral blood 40 h before ovum pick-up. cDNA levels of the hCG receptor after ovarian stimulation were significantly higher among women receiving hCG compared to those receiving LH. In addition, higher levels were encountered among women with pregnancy compared to those without, although this was not statistically significant due to the small number of pregnancies. It seems that hCG permits a highly effective and more stable occupancy of rLH/hCG receptors and gives more follicles and more oocytes. The determination of cDNA copies could be, in the future, a marker during ovulation induction protocols and of course a predictor for the outcome of ART in the special subgroup of patients with previous failures.
We describe a patient in whom an initially intact sciatic nerve became rapidly encased in heterotopic bone formed in the abductor compartment after reconstruction of the posterior wall of the acetabulum following fracture. Prompt excision and neural release followed by irradiation and administration of indometacin resulted in a full neurological recovery and no recurrence 27 months later.
Hip resurfacing has recently been offered as an attractive alternative to conventional total hip arthroplasty. This report evaluated the short-term functional outcome and longevity of a newer generation resurfacing device and includes the results of 228 consecutive hip resurfacing in 209 patients at a minimum of two-year follow-up. All resurfacing were performed by a single surgeon using a posterior approach. Excluding infections, there were only three failures (1.3%). The overall survival at 4.6 years was 96.9%. The survival of resurfacing in this study was comparable to that of other published studies of hip resurfacing. Surface hip arthroplasty appears to be an effective alternative to conventional total hip arthroplasty in patients suffering from osteoarthritis.
A commercially available powder of MgB2 is used as starting material for the examination of the influence of the annealing temperature on the properties of this intermediate-T-c superconductor. We performed scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Hall ac-susceptibility measurements as a function of temperature and ac-field amplitude on samples annealed at 650, 750, 850 and 950 degrees C. The imaginary part of ac-susceptibility measurements is used to calculate both the inter-granular critical current density, J(c)(T-p) and density of pinning force, alpha(j)(0). It was observed that all T-c, J(c)(T-p) and alpha(j)(0) exhibit a non-monotonic behavior on the annealing temperature range studied in this work. T-c is measured to be 39.85 +/- 0.02 K and J(c)(T-p) is estimated to be as high as 60 A/cm(2) at 39.2 K for the sample annealed at 850 degrees C. The peak temperature, T-p, in the imaginary part of the ac-susceptibility curves shifts to lower temperatures with both decreasing the annealing temperature and increasing the amplitude of the ac-magnetic fields. A comparison of the experimental ac-susceptibility data with theoretical critical-state models that are currently available is performed. SEM investigations showed that the grain size increases, and the grain connectivity improves when the annealing temperature increases up to 850 degrees C. The possible reasons for the observed changes in transport, microstructure and magnetic properties due to annealing temperature are discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Praziquantel (PZQ), the primary drug of choice in the treatment of schistosomiasis, is a highly lipophilic drug that possesses high permeability and low aqueous solubility and is, therefore, classified as a Class II drug according to the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS). In this work, beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) and hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) were used in order to determine whether increasing the aqueous solubility of a drug by complexation with CDs, a BCS-Class II compound like PZQ could behave as BCS-Class I (highly soluble/highly permeable) drug. Phase solubility and the kneading and lyophilization techniques were used for inclusion complex preparation; solubility was determined by UV spectroscopy. The ability of the water soluble polymer polyvinylpyrolidone (PVP) to increase the complexation and solubilization efficiency of beta-CD and HP-beta-CD for PZQ was examined. Results showed significant improvement of PZQ solubility in the presence of both cyclodextrins but no additional effect in the presence of PVP. The solubility/dose ratios values of PZQ-cyclodextrin complexes calculated considering the low (150 mg) and the high dose (600 mg) of PZQ, used in practice, indicate that PZQ complexation with CDs may result in drug dosage forms that would behave as a BCS-Class I depending on the administered dose.
BACKGROUND: Several reports have shown that homocysteine promotes thrombosis by disturbing the procoagulant-anticoagulant balance, whereas alterations in coagulation and fibrinolysis have been suggested as important pathogenetic and prognostic determinants of mortality in acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of plasma homocysteine levels on the outcomes of patients with ALI/ARDS. METHODS: Sixty-nine consecutive ventilated patients with ALI/ARDS were studied. Blood samples were drawn within 3 days of clinical recognition of ARDS. Measurement of plasma homocysteine, vitamin B12, folate, creatinine, protein C and plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1 antigen levels, and genotyping of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene C677T and A1298C polymorphisms were carried out. The primary outcomes were 28- and 90-day mortality, whereas secondary outcomes included nonpulmonary organ failure-free days, liberation from mechanical ventilation up to day 28, and ventilator-free days during the 28 days after enrollment. RESULTS: In the multivariable analysis, plasma homocysteine concentration adjusted for age, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T and A1298C polymorphisms, and levels of plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1 antigen, protein C, creatinine, vitamin B12, and folate was not found to affect significantly mortality at 28 and 90 days (P = 0.39 and P = 0.83, respectively), days without organ failure besides lungs (P = 0.38), the probability of being free from mechanical ventilation at day 28 (P = 0.63), and days without ventilation assistance (P = 0.73). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that increased plasma homocysteine levels, either alone or in synergy with other thrombophilic risk factors, do not seem to adversely affect the prognosis in patients with ALI/ARDS
Stellar winds seem to be very efficient at removing angular momentum from stars. By means of analytical axisymmetric solutions of the ideal MHD equations for steady outflows, we show via a specific example how collimated stellar winds can brake Weak T Tauri stars in a reasonable time. This result can be generalized to Classical T Tauri stars provided that part of the accreted angular momentum is removed by the inner disk wind. We also extend briefly to Kerr metrics the self similar MHD solutions for relativistic flows and conjecture that relativistic outflows may efficiently slow down spinning black holes at the center of Active Galactic Nuclei or microquasars.
Landbridge islands offer unique opportunities for understanding the effects of fragmentation history on genetic variation in island taxa. The formation of islands by rising sea levels can be likened to a population bottleneck whose magnitude and duration is determined by island area and time since isolation, respectively. The Holocene landbridge islands of the Aegean Sea (Greece) were formed since the last glacial maximum and constitute an ideal system for disentangling the effects of island area, age and geographic isolation on genetic variability. Of the many reptile species inhabiting this island system, the Aegean wall lizard Podarcis erhardii is an excellent indicator of fragmentation history due to its widespread distribution and poor over-water dispersal abilities. In this study, we utilize a detailed record of Holocene fragmentation to investigate the effects of island history on wall lizard mitochondrial and nuclear microsatellite diversity. Findings show that the spatial distribution of mitochondrial haplotypes reflects historical patterns of fragmentation rather than geographic proximity per se. In keeping with neutral bottleneck theory, larger and younger islands retain more nuclear genetic variation than smaller, older islands. Conversely, there is no evidence of an effect of isolation by distance or effect of distance to the nearest larger landmass on genetic variability, indicating little gene flow between islands. Lastly, population-specific measures of genetic differentiation are inversely correlated with island area, suggesting that smaller islands exhibit greater divergence due to their greater susceptibility to drift. Taken together, these results suggest that both island area and time since isolation are important predictors of genetic variation and that these patterns likely arose through the progressive fragmentation of ancestral diversity and the ensuing cumulative effects of drift.
To determine the effect of montelukast on asthma during the allergy season in children with persistent asthma and seasonal aeroallergen sensitivity.|This 3-week double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group multicenter study compared daily montelukast 5 mg chewable tablets and placebo in patients 6-14 years of age with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) > or = 60 and < or = 85% predicted, persistent asthma that is also active during allergy season, and documented sensitivity to seasonal allergens. Concomitant inhaled corticosteroid use was permitted in up to 40% of enrolled patients. The primary endpoint was the percentage change from baseline in FEV(1) over 3 weeks of treatment. Additional endpoints included the percentage change from baseline in beta-agonist use, average changes in daytime and nighttime symptom score, AM and PM peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), investigator's global asthma evaluation, and parent/guardian global asthma evaluation at the end of the treatment period. Adverse experiences (AEs) were collected to assess safety and tolerability.|A total of 421 patients were randomized to montelukast (N = 203) or placebo (N = 218). For the primary endpoint, the percentage change from baseline FEV(1), montelukast was not significantly different from placebo (least squares mean 9.53% vs. 9.15%, respectively; p = 0.810). Compared with placebo, montelukast was associated with significantly lower (better) investigator's global asthma evaluation (LS mean 2.71 vs. 2.98; p < 0.05) and parent/guardian global asthma evaluation (LS mean: 2.63 vs. 2.90; p < 0.05) scores. There were no significant differences between treatment groups for the other efficacy evaluations. Both treatments were well tolerated, with no significant differences observed in AE rates.|Montelukast did not significantly improve FEV(1) compared with placebo over three weeks of treatment during the allergy season in pediatric patients with seasonal allergen sensitivity. (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00289874).
The elaboration of analytical microzoning studies involves a multidisciplinary approach comprising geological, geotechnical, seismological, geophysical and dynamic soil analysis data. In an attempt to incorporate the maximum available amount of information and in the view of the continuously expanding use of GIS, as a tool for analyzing and integrating data, a new software environment called AUTO-SEISMO-GEOTECH has been developed for handling these multi-parameter data. This user friendly package is presently implemented for the cities of Heraklion (Crete island- province of Heraklion) and Thiva (province of Viotia) in Greece. The pilot methodologies applied in these urban areas, aimed also at determining a minimum package of tasks/methods needed for the elaboration of a microzoning study, are described and evaluated here. Next, a database with appropriate architecture was formed in order to handle all available geo-information for each city separately and produce thematic maps, such as geological, tectonic, hydrogeological, seismic hazard and microzonation ones. These maps can be easily reproduced, integrated and used for building safer constructions contributing so to mitigation of earthquake consequences. Geo-information obtained by a) existing regional seismicity maps and installation of local portable seismographic networks around both cities, to monitor the microseismic activity and define possible active fault zones, b) geological mapping of the broader urban area in scale 1:5000, c) evaluation of existing geotechnical data as well as new data coming from boreholes, d) geophysical data resulting from surface and borehole techniques, for Vp, Vs and dynamic elastic parameters estimation and e) consideration of historical seismological data for seismic hazard estimation, have been incorporated in this GIS based platform, to be easily handled for further use. The output of this information combined with the dynamic soil analysis produces detailed microzonation maps. Such maps are valuable for city planners and urban designers.
A novel parametrization within a simplified LCAO model (a type of Hückel model) is presented for the description of π molecular orbitals in organic molecules containing π-bonds between carbon, nitrogen, or oxygen atoms with sp2 hybridization. It is shown that the model is quite accurate in predicting the energy of the highest occupied π orbital and the first π–π* transition energy for a large set of organic compounds. Four empirical parameter values are provided for the diagonal matrix elements of the LCAO description, corresponding to atoms of carbon, nitrogen with one pz electron, nitrogen with two pz electrons, and oxygen. The bond-length dependent formula of Harrison (proportional to 1/d2) is used for the non-diagonal matrix elements between neighbouring atoms. The predictions of our calculations have been tested against available experimental results in more than sixty organic molecules, including benzene and its derivatives, polyacenes, aromatic hydrocarbons of various geometries, polyenes, ketones, aldehydes, azabenzenes, nucleic acid bases and others. The comparison is rather successful, taking into account the small number of parameters and the simplicity of the LCAO method, involving only pz atomic-like orbitals, which leads even to analytical calculations in some cases.
Η λέξη ‘άριστος’ είναι μία από τις αρχαιότερες ελληνικές λέξεις. Η γέννηση του όρου ανάγεται σε εποχές προομηρικές, ενώ η σημερινή σημασία της λέξης διατηρεί σε αμείωτο επίπεδο την αίγλη της. Στην ομηρική σκέψη ο «άριστος» συνιστά μια αξία, ένα μέγεθος ηθικό, και μάλιστα τον ύψιστο βαθμό ανωτερότητας, καθώς αποτελεί την υπερθετική εξέλιξη του «αγαθός». Ο άριστος δεν αποτελεί έναν εκ των πολλών, αλλά τον άνδρα ο οποίος επιτυγχάνει έναν άθλο, δηλαδή τον καλύτερο όλων, τον αξιότερο. Στο ηρωϊκό έπος της Ιλιάδας, όπου κατεξοχήν συγκρούονται αντίπαλοι ήρωες, η πολεμική αναμέτρηση συνιστά την αφορμή για την ανάδειξη της «αριστείας», δηλαδή των ανδραγαθημάτων, των σημαντικότερων ηρώων του στρατοπέδου των Αχαιών, καθώς επίσης και των επιλέκτων ανδρών εκ των Τρώων. Η ομηρική αριστεία δεν περιορίζεται, ωστόσο, μόνο στο πεδίο της μάχης αλλά εκδηλώνεται και στους αθλητικούς αγώνες, όπου είναι έκδηλη η λαχτάρα της νίκης και της υπεροχής. Τόσο στην Ιλιάδα, όσο και στην Οδύσσεια το ‘νικάν’ στους αγώνες συνδέεται με το ‘αριστεύειν’, καθώς ο νικητής είναι ο άριστος, ο ικανότερος, ο πιο γενναίος όλων, εξ ου και ‘αριστεία’ ή ‘άθλα’ τα κατορθώματα του ήρωα-αθλητή. Και στα δύο έπη είναι σημαντική η ανάδειξη της αριστείας, καθώς με τον τρόπο αυτόν αποκαλύπτει ο άνδρας της ομηρικής περιόδου τον χαρακτήρα και τη δύναμή του, που απηχούν την αρετή του, γεγονός που επηρεάζει την κοινωνική του αξιολόγηση. Η ‘αριστεία’ στον Όμηρο, έχει εν τέλει χαρακτήρα επικό, σχεδόν δραματικό, καθώς ο μαχητής, προκειμένου να κατακτήσει το ιδεώδες της ανδρείας, φτάνει ως τα όρια του θανάτου, ενώ η αριστεία στον αθλητικό χώρο δεν συνιστά, παρά μία προέκταση της πολεμικής αριστείας.
Background: The aim of this retrospective study was to present the epidemiological, pathological and clinical characteristics and treatment results of Greek women with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Patients and Methods: From February 1976 to December 2006, 1,791 patients had been diagnosed, treated and followed up in the participating centers of the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group (HeCOG). Cox-regression analysis was carried out in order to identify possible prognostic factors. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 60 years. Seventy-five percent had a performance status (PS) of 0-1, 58.5% had a serous carcinoma, 36% had poorly differentiated tumors and 57% had International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage III disease. Approximately half of the patients had been subjected to a total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy and omentectomy, and 80% of them had undergone optimal debulking surgery. Among 1,462 patients with advanced disease, 96% had received platinum-based chemotherapy, while platinum plus paclitaxel had been administered to two-thirds of them. Among 609 patients with known data for response, 34% had achieved a complete objective response (CR) and 30% a partial response (PR), resulting in an overall response rate (RR) of 64%. Performance status, FIGO stage and residual disease (RD) after cytoreductive surgery were the strongest prognostic factors for time-to-tumor progression (TTP) and for overall survival (OS), while age was found to be significant only for OS. The median TTP was 107 months (95% confidence interval (CI), 92-121 months) for patients with stages I-II, 17 months (95% CI, 15-18 months) for those with stages III-IV, 96 months (95% CI, 58-133 months) for patients without RD and 17 months (95% CI, 15-18 months) for those with RD. Median OS had not been reached for the patients with stages I-II, while it was 40 months (95% CI, 37-43 months) for those with stages III-IV, 141 months (95% CI, 103-179 months) for patients without RD and 42 months (95% CI, 39-45 months) for those with RD. Conclusion: There were no significant differences in patient characteristics or types of treatments administered in Greek women with EOC in comparison with those reported in the English literature.
Evaluation and treatment of pain following hip resurfacing arthroplasty can be challenging, even for the most experienced arthroplasty surgeon. As in any total hip replacement, there are a number of investigative tools at the disposal of orthopaedic surgeons to elicit the underlying causes of pain for diagnosis and treatment. A detailed history and physical examination are the most important first steps in the differential diagnosis of the intrinsic and extrinsic etiologies of hip pain. Serial radiographs from the time of surgery also should be reviewed and compared for changes indicative of loosening, migration, and osteolysis, in combination or alone. Diagnostic injections with local anesthetic agents additionally can be performed to localize the origin of pain. Bone scintigraphy, hip joint aspiration, and laboratory tests, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), should be requested routinely to exclude an occult infection. The use of ultrasound (US), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and even hip arthroscopy has been suggested as potential diagnostic tools when metal sensitivity is suspected. Relative to cause, femoral neck fractures and the possibility of metal hypersensitivity as sources of persistent groin pain should always be considered in metal-on-metal hip resurfacing. Additionally, iliopsoas tendinopathy and anterior impingement of the femoral neck are well-recognized causes of pain and should be included in the differential diagnosis. Surface arthroplasty is becoming an acceptable alternative to standard total hip replacement in young patients. It is increasingly essential to recognize the different causes of pain following resurfacing in order to make an accurate diagnosis and initiate timely, appropriate treatment.
An apparently unambiguous combination coccosphere from the Eastern Mediterranean (Aegean Sea, Greece) is documented involving Syracosphaera protrudens Okada & McIntyre, 1977 and Syracosphaera pulchra Lohmann, 1902 HOL pirus-type. This finding is difficult to interpret in terms of the current understanding of Syracosphaera taxonomy and adds evidence to the hypothesis of a distinctly complex Syracosphaera pulchra life cycle.
The steroid hormone-regulated gene KLK4 (kallikrein 4) is a new member of the human kallikrein-related peptidase gene family. Up to date, studies report that KLK4 is differentially expressed in many tumours. The purpose of this study was the expression analysis and study of KLK4 in benign and malignant breast tumours. Total RNA was isolated from 16 benign and 45 malignant breast tissue specimens. After testing RNA quality, cDNA was prepared by reverse transcription. Highly sensitive quantitative real-time PCR method for KLK4 mRNA quantification was developed using the SYBR Green chemistry. GAPDH served as a housekeeping gene. Relative quantification analysis was performed using the comparative C(T) method 2(-DeltaDeltaC)(T) KLK4 expression was found to vary in both patients' cohorts; however, a statistically significant elevation of the KLK4 mRNA levels was observed in malignant compared to benign tumour patients. Low KLK4 expression levels were found in well-differentiated tumours (p = 0.011) as well as in stage I (p = 0.024) patients. Moreover, a statistically significant (r(s) = -0.318, p = 0.035) negative correlation between the KLK4 expression and progesterone receptor staining was observed. ROC and logistic regression analysis recommended that KLK4 gene expression may be used as a new potential biomarker in breast cancer.
Different insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) isoforms, namely IGF-1Ea, IGF-1Eb and IGF-1Ec (MGF), have been proposed to have various functions in muscle repair and growth. To gain insight into the potentially differential actions of IGF-1 isoforms in the regulation of muscle regeneration, we assessed the time course of their expressions at both mRNA and protein levels after exercise-induced muscle damage in humans. In addition, we characterized mature IGF-1 and synthetic MGF E peptide signalling in C2C12 myoblast-like cells in vitro. Ten healthy male volunteers were subjected to exercise-induced muscle damage and biopsy samples were taken from the exercised muscles before and 6 h, 2, 5 and 16 days post exercise. Muscle damage was documented by specific functional and biochemical responses post exercise. PCR-based analyses of muscle biopsy samples revealed a rapid and transient up-regulation of MGF mRNA expression which was followed by a prolonged increase of IGF-1Ea and IGF-1Eb mRNA expression (p<0.05). Patterns similar to those for mRNA expression were detected for MGF and IGF-1Ea expression at the protein level. The action of synthetic MGF E peptide differed from that of mature IGF-1 since its proliferative effect on C2C12 myoblast-like cells was not blocked by an anti-IGF-1 receptor neutralizing antibody and it did not phosphorylate Akt. Therefore, we conclude that the differential expression profile of IGF-1 isoforms in vivo and the possible IGF-1R - independent MGF E peptide signalling in skeletal muscle-like cells in vitro support the notion that tissue-specific mRNA expression of MGF isoform produces mature IGF-1 and MGF E peptides which possibly act as distinct mitogens in skeletal muscle regeneration.
Different insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) isoforms, namely IGF-1Ea, IGF-1Eb and IGF-1Ec (MGF), have been proposed to have various functions in muscle repair and growth. To gain insight into the potentially differential actions of IGF-1 isoforms in the regulation of muscle regeneration, we assessed the time course of their expressions at both mRNA and protein levels after exercise-induced muscle damage in humans. In addition, we characterized mature IGF-1 and synthetic MGF E peptide signalling in C2C12 myoblast-like cells in vitro. Ten healthy male volunteers were subjected to exercise-induced muscle damage and biopsy samples were taken from the exercised muscles before and 6 h, 2, 5 and 16 days post exercise. Muscle damage was documented by specific functional and biochemical responses post exercise. PCR-based analyses of muscle biopsy samples revealed a rapid and transient up-regulation of MGF mRNA expression which was followed by a prolonged increase of IGF-1Ea and IGF-1Eb mRNA expression (p<0.05). Patterns similar to those for mRNA expression were detected for MGF and IGF-1Ea expression at the protein level. The action of synthetic MGF E peptide differed from that of mature IGF-1 since its proliferative effect on C2C12 myoblast-like cells was not blocked by an anti-IGF-1 receptor neutralizing antibody and it did not phosphorylate Akt. Therefore, we conclude that the differential expression profile of IGF-1 isoforms in vivo and the possible IGF-1R - independent MGF E peptide signalling in skeletal muscle-like cells in vitro support the notion that tissue-specific mRNA expression of MGF isoform produces mature IGF-1 and MGF E peptides which possibly act as distinct mitogens in skeletal muscle regeneration.
Different insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) isoforms, namely IGF-1Ea, IGF-1Eb and IGF-1Ec (MGF), have been proposed to have various functions in muscle repair and growth. To gain insight into the potentially differential actions of IGF-1 isoforms in the regulation of muscle regeneration, we assessed the time course of their expressions at both mRNA and protein levels after exercise-induced muscle damage in humans. In addition, we characterized mature IGF-1 and synthetic MGF E peptide signalling in C2C12 myoblast-like cells in vitro. Ten healthy male volunteers were subjected to exercise-induced muscle damage and biopsy samples were taken from the exercised muscles before and 6 h, 2, 5 and 16 days post exercise. Muscle damage was documented by specific functional and biochemical responses post exercise. PCR-based analyses of muscle biopsy samples revealed a rapid and transient up-regulation of MGF mRNA expression which was followed by a prolonged increase of IGF-1Ea and IGF-1Eb mRNA expression (p<0.05). Patterns similar to those for mRNA expression were detected for MGF and IGF-1Ea expression at the protein level. The action of synthetic MGF E peptide differed from that of mature IGF-1 since its proliferative effect on C2C12 myoblast-like cells was not blocked by an anti-IGF-1 receptor neutralizing antibody and it did not phosphorylate Akt. Therefore, we conclude that the differential expression profile of IGF-1 isoforms in vivo and the possible IGF-1R - independent MGF E peptide signalling in skeletal muscle-like cells in vitro support the notion that tissue-specific mRNA expression of MGF isoform produces mature IGF-1 and MGF E peptides which possibly act as distinct mitogens in skeletal muscle regeneration.
The available analytical MHD models for jets, characterized by the symmetries of radial self-similarity (ADO, Analytical Disk Outflow solutions) in general have two geometrical shortcomings, a singularity at the jet axis and the non-existence of an intrinsic scale, i.e., the jets formally extend to radial infinity. The present study focuses on imposing an outer ejecting radius of the underlying accreting disk and thus providing a finite width disk-wind. The simulations are carried out using the PLUTO code. We study the time evolution of these modified analytical models and we investigate the rich parameter space and compare the results directly with observations.
BACKGROUND: Extrapyramidal signs (EPSs) are commonly accepted as a feature of Alzheimer disease (AD) and may influence both the profile of impairment and prognosis.
OBJECTIVE: To examine rates of occurrence and risk factors for all types of EPSs and to describe the impact of EPSs over time on the clinical course of AD.
DESIGN: Longitudinal study.
SETTING: The Washington Heights Hamilton Heights Inwood Columbia Aging Project. Patients A total of 388 patients with incident AD (mean age, 79 years; 71.4% female).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Extrapyramidal signs rated by means of a standardized portion of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale; prevalence and incidence rates and cumulative risk for non-drug-induced EPSs; and rates of change in EPSs over time, taking into account potential covariates.
RESULTS: Extrapyramidal signs were detected in 12.3% of patients at first evaluation and 22.6% at last evaluation. In a multivariate-adjusted generalized estimating equation model of change, total EPS score increased at an annual rate of 1.3%. Women (relative risk [RR], 1.57; P = .03), older patients (RR, 1.03; P = .02), and those with EPSs at baseline (RR, 2.07; P = .001) had greater rates of cognitive decline.
CONCLUSIONS: Extrapyramidal signs occur frequently and progress significantly in AD. Patients with incident AD and concomitant EPSs have a greater rate of cognitive decline than do patients with incident AD but without EPSs.
We investigated whether patients who underwent internal fixation for an isolated acetabular fracture were able to return to their previous sporting activities. We studied 52 consecutive patients with an isolated acetabular fracture who were operated on between January 2001 and December 2002. Their demographic details, fracture type, rehabilitation regime, outcome and complications were documented prospectively as was their level and frequency of participation in sport both before and after surgery. Quality of life was measured using the EuroQol-5D health outcome tool (EQ-5D). There was a significant reduction in level of activity, frequency of participation in sport (both p < 0.001) and EQ-5D scores in patients of all age groups compared to a normal English population (p = 0.001). A total of 22 (42%) were able to return to their previous level of activities: 35 (67%) were able to take part in sport at some level. Of all the parameters analysed, the Matta radiological follow-up criteria were the single best predictor for resumption of sporting activity and frequency of participation.
Learning increases the survival of new cells that are generated in the hippocampal formation before the training experience, especially if the animal learns to associate stimuli across time [Gould E, Beylin A, Tanapat P, Reeves A, Shors TJ (1999) Nat Neurosci 2:260-265]. All relevant studies have been conducted on male rats, despite evidence for sex differences in this type of learning. In the present study, we asked whether sex differences in learning influence the survival of neurons generated in the adult hippocampus. Male and female adult rats were injected with one dose of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU; 200 mg/kg), to label one population of dividing cells. One week later, half of the animals were trained with a temporal learning task of trace eyeblink conditioning, while the other half were not trained. Animals were killed 1 day after training (12 days after the BrdU injection). Hippocampal tissue was stained for BrdU and a marker of immature neurons, doublecortin. Both sexes learned to emit the conditioned eyeblink response during the trace interval. As a consequence, more new neurons remained in their hippocampi than in sex-matched controls. In individual animals, the number of surviving cells correlated positively with asymptotic performance; those that expressed more learned responses retained more new neurons. However, animals that learned very well retained even more new cells if they required many trials to do so. Because females emitted more learned responses than males did, they retained nearly twice as many new cells per unit volume of tissue. This effect was most evident in the ventral region of the hippocampal formation. Thus, sex differences in learning alter the anatomical structure of the hippocampus. As a result, male and female brains continue to differentiate in adulthood.
In order to single out dominant phenomena that account for carrier-controlled magnetism in p-Cd1-xMnxTe quantum wells we have carried out magneto-optical measurements and Monte Carlo simulations of time-dependent magnetization. The experimental results show that magnetization relaxation is faster than 20 ns in the paramagnetic state. Decreasing temperature below the Curie temperature TC results in an increase of the relaxation time but to less than 10 μs. This fast relaxation may explain why the spontaneous spin splitting of electronic states is not accompanied by the presence of nonzero macroscopic magnetization below TC. Our Monte Carlo results reproduce the relative change of the relaxation time on decreasing temperature. At the same time, the numerical calculations demonstrate that antiferromagnetic spin-spin interactions, which compete with the hole-mediated long-range ferromagnetic coupling, play an important role in magnetization relaxation of the system. We find, in particular, that magnetization dynamics is largely accelerated by the presence of antiferromagnetic couplings to the Mn spins located outside the region, where the holes reside. This suggests that macroscopic spontaneous magnetization should be observable if the thickness of the layer containing localized spins will be smaller than the extension of the hole wave function. Furthermore, we study how a spin-independent part of the Mn potential affects TC. Our findings show that the alloy disorder potential tends to reduce TC, the effect being particularly strong for the attractive potential that leads to hole localization.
The magnetic state of nitrogen-doped MgO, with N substituting O at concentrations between 1% and the concentrated limit, is calculated with density-functional methods. The N atoms are found to be spin polarized with a moment of 1 mu(B) per nitrogen atom and to interact ferromagnetically via the double-exchange mechanism in the full concentration range. The long-range magnetic order is established above a finite concentration of about 1.5% when the percolation threshold is reached. The disorder is described within the coherent-potential approximation, with the exchange interactions harvested by the method of infinitesimal rotations. The Curie temperature T-C, calculated within the random-phase approximation, increases linearly with the concentration, and is found to be about 30 K for 10% concentration. Besides the substitution of single nitrogen atoms, also interstitial nitrogen atoms, dimers and trimers, and their structural relaxations are discussed with respect to the magnetic state. Possible scenarios of engineering a higher Curie temperature are analyzed, with the conclusion that an increase in T-C is difficult to achieve, requiring a particular attention to the choice of chemistry.
This paper provides evidence of integration in European equity and bond markets over the period January 2, 1997 to October 1, 2006. Our focus is to examine time-varying correlation dynamics in Euro-area, Central European (CE) and Balkan financial markets, modifying the asymmetric generalized dynamic conditional correlation (AG-DCC) model developed by Cappiello, Engle and Sheppard (Journal of Financial Econometrics, 2006). Using structural breaks, we identify the optimal time decay where financial markets share highest comovement. The results show an increase in the level of dependence during the period of the internet bubble collapse (2000), the Balkan countries start formally discussions to join European Union (2000), the introduction of Euro banknotes and coins (2002) and the entry of CE countries in EU (2004). The CE European and Balkan countries become gradually more integrated with the EMU countries, which is consistent with the interpretation that these countries may be expected to join the Euro in the future.
We hypothesised that the use of bioabsorbable pins in Mitchell's osteotomy would improve the outcome of patients treated for hallux valgus deformity. A total of 68 patients underwent Mitchell's osteotomy to correct hallux valgus deformity: 33 patients (group A) underwent Mitchell's osteotomy augmented with bioabsorbable pins and 35 patients were treated with the classic operative procedure (group B). Hallux valgus angle (HVA), intermetatarsal angle (IMA), the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) hallux metatarsophalangeal-interphalangeal scale and the visual analogue score (VAS) for pain were measured preoperatively and postoperatively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups as far as the improvement of the IMA, HVA and AOFAS scale were concerned. Patients of group A had significantly less postoperative pain and returned to their previous activities earlier than patients of group B. The use of the pins did not improve the final outcome of the osteotomy. However, it allowed for faster rehabilitation due to less postoperative pain.
OBJECTIVE: Fluctuating dental asymmetry is considered a sensitive indicator of environmental stress. We used fluctuating asymmetry of teeth in Greek children to assess the effect of the Chernobyl accident to the Greek population, which received relatively large radiation exposure compared to other European countries.
DESIGN: Sixty dental casts were divided into two groups according to date of birth prior to or after the Chernobyl accident. The intercuspal distances of the mandibular first permanent molars were measured with digital calipers. We followed the data analysis procedure proposed by Palmer and Strobeck (2003).
RESULTS: Fluctuating asymmetry was found at levels above measurement error in all traits except for the buccal measurement. Overall, there were no significant differences in the fluctuating asymmetry between the two groups, after removal of outliers.
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that environmental radioactivity from the Chernobyl incident did not significantly affect the symmetry of lower permanent molar intercuspal distances in the specific population, even though increased levels of radionuclides have been reported in teeth and other tissues.
The elaboration of analytical microzoning studies involves a multidisciplinary approach comprising geological, geotechnical, seismological, geophysical and dynamic soil analysis data. In an attempt to incorporate the maximum available amount of information and in the view of the continuously expanding use of GIS, as a tool for analyzing and integrating data, a new software environment called AUTO-SEISMO-GEOTECH has been developed for handling these multi-parameter data. This user friendly package is presently implemented for the cities of Heraklion (Crete island- province of Heraklion) and Thiva (province of Viotia) in Greece. The pilot methodologies applied in these urban areas, aimed also at determining a minimum package of tasks/methods needed for the elaboration of a microzoning study, are described and evaluated here. Next, a database with appropriate architecture was formed in order to handle all available geo-information for each city separately and produce thematic maps, such as geological, tectonic, hydrogeological, seismic hazard and microzonation ones. These maps can be easily reproduced, integrated and used for building safer constructions contributing so to mitigation of earthquake consequences. Geo-information obtained by a) existing regional seismicity maps and installation of local portable seismographic networks around both cities, to monitor the microseismic activity and define possible active fault zones, b) geological mapping of the broader urban area in scale 1:5000, c) evaluation of existing geotechnical data as well as new data coming from boreholes, d) geophysical data resulting from surface and borehole techniques, for Vp, Vs and dynamic elastic parameters estimation and e) consideration of historical seismological data for seismic hazard estimation, have been incorporated in this GIS based platform, to be easily handled for further use. The output of this information combined with the dynamic soil analysis produces detailed microzonation maps. Such maps are valuable for city planners and urban designers.
We explore the use of fractional order differential equations for the analysis of datasets of various drug processes that present anomalous kinetics, i.e. kinetics that are non-exponential and are typically described by power-laws. A fractional differential equation corresponds to a differential equation with a derivative of fractional order. The fractional equivalents of the ``zero-{''} and ``first-order{''} processes are derived. The fractional zero-order process is a power-law while the fractional first-order process is a Mittag-Leffler function. The latter behaves as a stretched exponential for early times and as a power-law for later times. Applications of these two basic results for drug dissolution/release and drug disposition are presented. The fractional model of dissolution is fitted successfully to datasets taken from literature of in vivo dissolution curves. Also, the proposed pharmacokinetic model is fitted to a dataset which exhibits power-law terminal phase. The Mittag-Leffler function describes well the data for small and large time scales and presents an advantage over empirical power-laws which go to infinity as time approaches zero. The proposed approach is compared conceptually with fractal kinetics, an alternative approach to describe datasets with non exponential kinetics. Fractional kinetics offers an elegant description of anomalous kinetics, with a valid scientific basis, since it has already been applied in problems of diffusion in other fields, and describes well the data.
Skin prick testing is the standard for diagnosing IgE-mediated allergies. However, different allergen extracts and different testing procedures have been applied by European allergy centres. Thus, it has been difficult to compare results from different centres or studies across Europe. It was, therefore, crucial to standardize and harmonize procedures in allergy diagnosis and treatment within Europe.|The Global Asthma and Allergy European Network (GA(2)LEN), with partners and collaborating centres across Europe, was in a unique position to take on this task. The current study is the first approach to implement a standardized procedure for skin prick testing in allergies against inhalant allergens with a standardized pan-European allergen panel.|The study population consisted of patients who were referred to one of the 17 participating centres in 14 European countries (n = 3034, median age = 33 years). Skin prick testing and evaluation was performed with the same 18 allergens in a standardized procedure across all centres.|The study clearly shows that many allergens previously regarded as untypical for some regions in Europe have been underestimated. This could partly be related to changes in mobility of patients, vegetation or climate in Europe.|The results of this large pan-European study demonstrate for the first time sensitization patterns for different inhalant allergens in patients across Europe. The standardized skin prick test with the standardized allergen battery should be recommended for clinical use and research. Further EU-wide monitoring of sensitization patterns is urgently needed.
Skin prick testing is the standard for diagnosing IgE-mediated allergies. A positive skin prick reaction, however, does not always correlate with clinical symptoms. A large database from a Global Asthma and Allergy European Network (GA(2)LEN) study with data on clinical relevance was used to determine the clinical relevance of sensitizations against the 18 most frequent inhalant allergens in Europe. The study population consisted of patients referred to one of the 17 allergy centres in 14 European countries (n = 3034, median age = 33 years). The aim of the study was to assess the clinical relevance of positive skin prick test reactions against inhalant allergens considering the predominating type of symptoms in a pan-European population of patients presenting with suspected allergic disease.|Clinical relevance of skin prick tests was recorded with regard to patient history and optional additional tests. A putative correlation between sensitization and allergic disease was assessed using logistic regression analysis.|While an overall rate of >or=60% clinically relevant sensitizations was observed in all countries, a differential distribution of clinically relevant sensitizations was demonstrated depending on type of allergen and country where the prick test was performed. Furthermore, a significant correlation between the presence of allergic disease and the number of sensitizations was demonstrated.|This study strongly emphasizes the importance of evaluating the clinical relevance of positive skin prick tests and calls for further studies, which may, ultimately, help increase the positive predictive value of allergy testing.
The number of allergens to be tested in order to identify sensitized patients is important in order to have the most cost-effective approach in epidemiological studies.|To define the minimal number and the type of skin prick test (SPT) allergens required to identify a patient as sensitized using results of the new Pan-European GA(2)LEN skin prick test study.|In a large Pan-European multicenter (17 centers in 14 countries) patient based study, a standardized panel of 18 allergens has been prick tested using a standardized procedure. Conditional approach allowed to determine the allergens selection.|Among the 3034 patients involved, 1996 (68.2%) were sensitized to at least one allergen. Overall, eight allergens (grass pollen, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, birch pollen, cat dander, Artemisia, olive pollen, Blatella and Alternaria) allowed to identified more than 95% of sensitized subjects. However, differences were observed between countries, two allergens being sufficient for Switzerland (grass pollen and cat dander) as opposed to nine for France (grass pollen, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, olive pollen, cat dander, Blatella, cypress, dog dander, alder and [Artemisia or Alternaria]). According to country, up to 13 allergens were needed to identify all sensitized subjects.|Eight to ten allergens allowed the identification of the majority of sensitized subjects. For clinical care of individual patients, the whole battery of 18 allergens is needed to appropriately assess sensitization across Europe.
The upper Miocene of Karlovassi Basin, Samos Island, Greece, contain continental evaporites such as colemanite, ulexite, celestite, gypsum and thenardite. These evaporites are related with volcanic tuffs, diagenetically altered in a saline-alkaline lake environment. The aim of the present paper is to: a) define the impact of the already known and possible buried borates and other evaporites to the geochemistry of the hydrogeological system of Karlovassi Basin, and; b) to assess the correlation between surface and underground evaporite deposits considering the spatial changes in the concentrations of the examined physicochemical parameters. Fieldwork, laboratory measurements and literature data revealed elevated boron values (2136–33012 ⧎/L) in the central part of Karlovassi Basin. In the same area, high amounts of strontium, sodium, lithium and sulfates also occur. It is proposed that these ions originate from the leaching of evaporites and authigenic minerals such as the Sr-rich clinoptilolite and the boron-bearing potassium feldspar. Boron values are abnormally high for freshwater aquifers, and are indicative of the presence of buried evaporites in the basin with unknown significance.
INTRODUCTION: Cervical vertebrae shape has been proposed as a diagnostic factor for assessing skeletal maturation in orthodontic patients. However, evaluation of vertebral shape is mainly based on qualitative criteria. Comprehensive quantitative measurements of shape and assessments of its predictive power have not been reported. Our aims were to measure vertebral shape by using the tools of geometric morphometrics and to evaluate the correlation and predictive power of vertebral shape on skeletal maturation.
METHODS: Pretreatment lateral cephalograms and corresponding hand-wrist radiographs of 98 patients (40 boys, 58 girls; ages, 8.1-17.7 years) were used. Skeletal age was estimated from the hand-wrist radiographs. The first 4 vertebrae were traced, and 187 landmarks (34 fixed and 153 sliding semilandmarks) were used. Sliding semilandmarks were adjusted to minimize bending energy against the average of the sample. Principal components analysis in shape and form spaces was used for evaluating shape patterns. Shape measures, alone and combined with centroid size and age, were assessed as predictors of skeletal maturation.
RESULTS: Shape alone could not predict skeletal maturation better than chronologic age. The best prediction was achieved with the combination of form space principal components and age, giving 90% prediction intervals of approximately 200 maturation units in the girls and 300 units in the boys. Similar predictive power could be obtained by using centroid size and age. Vertebrae C2, C3, and C4 gave similar results when examined individually or combined. C1 showed lower correlations, signifying lower integration with hand-wrist maturation.
CONCLUSIONS: Vertebral shape is strongly correlated to skeletal age but does not offer better predictive value than chronologic age.
We construct the holonomy groupoid of any singular foliation. In the regular case this groupoid coincides with the usual holonomy groupoid of Winkelnkemper ([H. E. Winkelnkemper, The graph of a foliation, Ann. Glob. Anal. Geom. 1 (3) (1983), 51–75.]); the same holds in the singular cases of [J. Pradines, How to define the differentiable graph of a singular foliation, C. Top. Geom. Diff. Cat. XXVI(4) (1985), 339–381.], [B. Bigonnet, J. Pradines, Graphe d'un feuilletage singulier, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris 300 (13) (1985), 439–442.], [C. Debord, Local integration of Lie algebroids, Banach Center Publ. 54 (2001), 21–33.], [C. Debord, Holonomy groupoids of singular foliations, J. Diff. Geom. 58 (2001), 467–500.], which from our point of view can be thought of as being “almost regular”. In the general case, the holonomy groupoid can be quite an ill behaved geometric object. On the other hand it often has a nice longitudinal smooth structure. Nonetheless, we use this groupoid to generalize to the singular case Connes' construction of the C*-algebra of the foliation. We also outline the construction of a longitudinal pseudo-differential calculus; the analytic index of a longitudinally elliptic operator takes place in the K-theory of our C*-algebra.
In our construction, the key notion is that of a bi-submersion which plays the role of a local Lie groupoid defining the foliation. Our groupoid is the quotient of germs of these bi-submersions with respect to an appropriate equivalence relation.
This case report describes the treatment of a patient whose maxillary left first premolar was impacted horizontally, and both maxillary canines were transposed relative to the first premolars. The patient was treated without extractions, and both canines were brought to their correct positions in the maxillary arch. Treatment mechanics during the various stages are discussed.
A discrimination of the different aerosol types over the Arabian Sea (AS) during the Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, Gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB-06) is made using values of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm (AOD500) and Ångström exponent (α) in the spectral band 340-1020 nm (α340-1020). For this purpose, appropriate thresholds for AOD500 and α340-1020 are applied. It is shown that a single aerosol type in a given location over the AS can exist only under specific conditions while the presence of mixed aerosols is the usual situation. Analysis indicates that the dominant aerosol types change significantly in the different regions (coastal, middle, and far) of AS. Thus the urban/industrial aerosols are mainly observed in coastal AS, the desert dust particles occur in the middle and northern AS, while clear maritime conditions mainly occur in far AS. Spectral AOD and Ångström exponent data were analyzed to obtain information about the adequacy of the simple use of the Ångström exponent and spectral variation of a for characterizing the aerosols. Using the least squares method, α is calculated in the spectral interval 340-1020 nm along with the coefficients a1 and a2 of the second-order polynomial fit to the plotted logarithm of AOD versus the logarithm of wavelength. The results show that the spectral curvature can effectively be used as a tool for their discrimination, since the fine mode aerosols exhibit negative curvature, while the coarse mode particles exhibit positive curvature. The correlation between the coefficients a1 and a2 with the Ångström exponent, and the atmospheric turbidity, is further investigated. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.
A discrimination of the different aerosol types over the Arabian Sea (AS) during the Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, Gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB-06) is made using values of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm (AOD500) and Ångström exponent (α) in the spectral band 340-1020 nm (α340-1020). For this purpose, appropriate thresholds for AOD500 and α340-1020 are applied. It is shown that a single aerosol type in a given location over the AS can exist only under specific conditions while the presence of mixed aerosols is the usual situation. Analysis indicates that the dominant aerosol types change significantly in the different regions (coastal, middle, and far) of AS. Thus the urban/industrial aerosols are mainly observed in coastal AS, the desert dust particles occur in the middle and northern AS, while clear maritime conditions mainly occur in far AS. Spectral AOD and Ångström exponent data were analyzed to obtain information about the adequacy of the simple use of the Ångström exponent and spectral variation of a for characterizing the aerosols. Using the least squares method, α is calculated in the spectral interval 340-1020 nm along with the coefficients a1 and a2 of the second-order polynomial fit to the plotted logarithm of AOD versus the logarithm of wavelength. The results show that the spectral curvature can effectively be used as a tool for their discrimination, since the fine mode aerosols exhibit negative curvature, while the coarse mode particles exhibit positive curvature. The correlation between the coefficients a1 and a2 with the Ångström exponent, and the atmospheric turbidity, is further investigated. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.
AIM: To evaluate the impact of hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) seropositivity in sustained virological response (SVR) rates in treatment-naïve, chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with high pretreatment viral load (>800000 IU/mL).
METHODS: 185 consecutive CHC patients (14.4% cirrhotics, 70.2% prior intravenous drug users) treated with pegylated interferon-a2b plus ribavirin, for 24 or 48 weeks based on viral genotype, were retrospectively analyzed. SVR was confirmed by undetectable serum HCV-RNA six months after the end of treatment schedule.
RESULTS: Thirty percent of CHC/HBsAg-negative patients were anti-HBc-positive. Anti-HBc positivity was more prevalent in cirrhotic, compared to noncirrhotic patients (76.9% versus 19.5%, P < .05). Serum HBV-DNA was detected in the minority of anti-HBc-positive patients (1.97%). Overall, 62.1% of patients exhibited SVR, while 28.6% did not; 71.4% of non-SVRs were infected with genotype 1. In the univariate analysis, the anti-HBc positivity was negatively associated with treatment outcome (P = .065). In the multivariate model, only the advanced stage of liver disease (P = .015) and genotype-1 HCV infection (P = .003), but not anti-HBc-status (P = .726), proved to be independent predictors of non-SVR.
CONCLUSION: Serum anti-HBc positivity does not affect the SVR rates in treatment-naïve CHC patients with high pretreatment viral load, receiving the currently approved combination treatment.
BACKGROUND: The effect of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection on the natural history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease remains uncertain. Therefore, a retrospective cohort study was conducted to examine the influence of HIV-HBV coinfection on AIDS development and overall mortality. Moreover, our results were added to those of previous studies in a literature-based meta-analysis. METHODS: Serum samples obtained from HIV-seropositive patients from 1984 through 2003 were retrospectively tested for hepatitis B surface antigen. Multivariable analyses were performed using Poisson and logistic regression models. For meta-analytic purposes, eligible articles were identified and relevant data were abstracted. Pooled estimates of effect were calculated applying fixed and random effects models. RESULTS: The prevalence of chronic HBV infection (documented hepatitis B surface antigen seropositivity for >6 months) among 1729 HIV-positive patients was approximately 6%. The multivariable analyses in our primary study revealed no significant impact of concomitant HIV-HBV infection on progression to AIDS and all-cause mortality. However, a meta-analysis performed on data from 12,382 patients enrolled in 11 studies revealed a significant effect of HIV-HBV coinfection on overall mortality (pooled effect estimate, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-1.64). The increased rate of death among coinfected individuals was observed in the meta-analyses of studies conducted both before (pooled effect estimate, 1.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-2.39) and after (pooled effect estimate, 1.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.60) commencement of highly active antiretroviral therapy. CONCLUSIONS: HIV-HBV coinfection seems to affect all-cause mortality, and strategies to reduce liver damage in patients coinfected with HIV and HBV are justified.
OBJECTIVES: The evaluation of a service-oriented prototype implementation for healthcare interoperability.
METHODS: A prototype framework was developed, aiming to exploit the use of service-oriented architecture (SOA) concepts for achieving healthcare interoperability and to move towards a virtual patient record (VPR) paradigm. The prototype implementation was evaluated for its hypothetical adoption. The evaluation strategy was based on the initial proposition of the DeLone and McLean model of information systems (IS) success [1], as modeled by Iivari [2]. A set of SOA and VPR characteristics were empirically encapsulated within the dimensions of IS success model, combined with measures from previous research works. The data gathered was analyzed using partial least squares (PLS).
RESULTS: The results highlighted that system quality is a partial predictor of system use but not of user satisfaction. On the contrary, information quality proved to be a significant predictor of user satisfaction and partially a strong significant predictor of system use. Moreover, system use did not prove to be a significant predictor of individual impact whereas the bi-directional relation between use and user satisfaction did not confirm. Additionally, user satisfaction was found to be a strong significant predictor of individual impact. Finally, individual impact proved to be a strong significant predictor of organizational impact.
CONCLUSIONS: The empirical study attempted to obtain hypothetical, but still useful beliefs and perceptions regarding the SOA prototype implementation. The deduced observations can form the basis for further investigation regarding the adaptability of SOA implementations with VPR characteristics in the healthcare domain.
When the novel agents thalidomide, bortezomib and lenalidomide are administered to patients with myeloma in the context of clinical trials, they are associated with a significant improvement in response, progression-free survival and in some studies, overall survival (OS); however, their effect on the outcome of unselected myeloma patients has not been fully assessed. We compared the outcome of 1376 unselected patients with symptomatic myeloma, who started treatment before or after the introduction of thalidomide. The median OS in patients who started treatment after the introduction of novel agents increased by 12 months (48 vs 36 months, P<0.001). This improvement was more pronounced in patients ≤70 years (from 39 to 74 months, P<0.001), but less evident in patients >70 years (from 26 to 33 months, P=0.27). In patients treated after the introduction of novel agents, the international staging system (ISS) could discriminate three groups with significantly different outcomes (5-year survival for ISS stage I, II and III was 66, 45 and 18%, respectively, P<0.001). ISS was also valid in patients who actually received upfront treatment with novel drugs (4-year survival rate was 85, 61 and 26% for ISS stage I, II and III patients, P=0.001).
