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Introduction Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination has shown promising therapeutic effects for type 1 diabetes (T1D). According to recent studies, immunometabolism modification and regulation of T lymphocytes constitute the proposed mechanisms by which BCG vaccination may delay T1D onset. Clinical trial evidence from Turkey supports that two to three doses of the BCG vaccine in childhood, with the first dose administered in the first year of life, may prevent T1D. In the same study, one or zero vaccinations appeared to have no effect in T1D onset prevention. In Greece, the BCG vaccine was administered in a single dose at the age of 9 years in elementary school. BCG vaccination was not performed on a mandatory basis, creating one BCG vaccinated and one non-vaccinated population. The aim of our study was to investigate the possible effect of a single dose of BCG vaccine, at the age of 9 years, on the time of T1D onset, in a population of BCG vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients with diagnosed T1D. Methods To test this hypothesis, a survey through the Pan-Hellenic Federation of People with Diabetes (PFPD) was performed. In this observational, retrospective study, participating patients provided information regarding age, gender, time of diagnosis, and BCG vaccination status. Patients diagnosed with T1D before the age of 9 years were excluded from the analysis. Results The final sample included 196 patients (73 male and 123 female) with a mean age of 42.2 +/- 14.3 years and a mean duration of diabetes of 16.8 +/- 12.9 years. Mean age of T1D diagnosis in the BCG vaccinated group was 24.0 +/- 19.0 years, while the mean age of T1D diagnosis in the BCG non-vaccinated group was 21.5 +/- 14.3 years (p = 0.03). No interaction was found between gender and the age of diagnosis for BCG vaccinated and unvaccinated patients (p = 0.86). Conclusion The results of our study suggest that a single dose of BCG vaccine, performed at the age of 9 years, may delay the onset of T1D by 2.5 years. Additional studies of children receiving multiple doses of BCG should be conducted to possibly prove prolongation of the disease-free interval.

Gastric carcinoid tumors (GCs) are rare lesions representing less than 10% of carcinoid tumors and less than 1% of all stomach neoplasms. There are three distinct types of gastric carcinoids; type I includes the vast majority (70-85%) of these neoplasms that are closely linked to chronic atrophic gastritis. Type II which accounts for 5-10 %, is associated with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and often occurs in the context of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. Type III, finally, represents 15-25% of gastric carcinoids and is characterized by a far more aggressive course. The optimal clinical approach to GCs remains to be elucidated, depending upon type, size, and number of carcinoids. While there is universal agreement about the surgical treatment of type III GCs, current options for type I and II include simple surveillance, endoscopic polypectomy, surgical excision associated with or without surgical antrectomy, or total gastrectomy. Moreover, the introduction of somatostatin analogues could represent another therapeutic option.

Gastric carcinoid tumors (GCs) are rare lesions representing less than 10% of carcinoid tumors and less than 1% of all stomach neoplasms. There are three distinct types of gastric carcinoids; type I includes the vast majority (70–85%) of these neoplasms that are closely linked to chronic atrophic gastritis. Type II which accounts for 5–10 %, is associated with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and often occurs in the context of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. Type III, finally, represents 15–25% of gastric carcinoids and is characterized by a far more aggressive course. The optimal clinical approach to GCs remains to be elucidated, depending upon type, size, and number of carcinoids. While there is universal agreement about the surgical treatment of type III GCs, current options for type I and II include simple surveillance, endoscopic polypectomy, surgical excision associated with or without surgical antrectomy, or total gastrectomy. Moreover, the introduction of somatostatin analogues could represent another therapeutic option.