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Currently, hospitals and health care sectors employ low-cost IoT (Internet of Thing) based remote health monitoring systems and labs in order to collect a subjects or patients real-time data. Such a process can be helpful for the early detection of a healthy newborn life and even vital in the case of saving these lives. In this paper, a preliminary implementation of a system monitoring the fetus heart rate has been designed and implemented as a mobile wearable measuring system with remote sensing. The proposed implementation turns out to be an efficient combination of simplicity and cost effectiveness and is accompanied with preliminary accurate measurements of fetus heart rate. The developed board uses an ESP-8266 transceiver module and is programmed to transmit the data efficiently to a remote server station using a IEEE 802.11 b/g/n - based wireless network. The patients data can then be monitored using an Android-based or satellite phone, or even any well-known internet browser connected to the specific network certifying in many occasions the health safety distance required due to various situations including that of COVID-19. IEEE

Introduction: The biochemical diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) uses assays of specific and nonspecific markers. Nonspecific markers include, among others, neuron-specific enolase (NSE). The aim of this study was to evaluate NSE in patients with midgut type tumours treated with somatostatin analogues. Material and methods: The study group of patients with NETs of the small intestine included 41 patients. Grade G1 was found in 19 cases, while G2 was seen in the remaining 22 cases. Liver metastases were found in all patients studied. The examined group of patients was treated with somatostatin analogues receiving octreotide LAR at a dose of 30 mg. The control of biochemical parameters was performed every 3 months and imaging examinations every 6 months. The Immuno-Biological Laboratories kit was used for determination of NSE concentration, where reference values were 12.5–25 ng/mL. Results: In the G1 group of patients, the median value of NSE concentration was 134.67 ng/mL, while in the G2 group, the value was 234.55 ng/mL and was significantly higher than in the G1 group (p = 0.003). In the determination of NSE concentration values according to the degree of liver involvement, in the group of patients with 10% liver involvement, the median value of NSE concentration was 143.21 ng/mL, while in the group with 25% liver involvement, the value was 251.82 ng/mL (p < 0.001). In the analysis of NSE concentration assessment in patients with disease progression, the median value was 234.65 ng/mL compared to the group with disease stabilization, where the median NSE value was significantly lower and amounted to 136.27 ng/mL (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In our study, we observed that NSE concentration values were significantly higher among patients with NET midgut type tumour with histological grade G2 and in patients with 25% liver involvement and progression of the disease process.

Strategic Routing is a traffic intervention mechanism. To reduce traffic in a certain area, drivers are asked to take a pre-defined route diverting them from the area, even though this increases their travel time. This can be implemented with navigation apps or in-dash navigation from navigation service providers such as TomTom or Google. Triggered by a traffic authority, the driver receives information through the service provider’s infrastructure and user interface about a new route and potentially a reward. In this work, we investigate the dynamics between traffic authority, service provider, and end user by analyzing user expectations. Ultimately, service providers are competing for customers. They can, therefore, only implement strategic routing if it appeals to drivers rather than scares them away. We report on the insights of a two-stage study with 457 participants, exploring what kind of strategic routing interventions are appreciated by drivers. We find that drivers report a high interest in seeing diversion suggestions, even when they are not inclined to take them. However, they are unwilling to have their route adapted automatically. Important factors affecting drivers’ willingness to divert are the reason for the detour and the additional driving time. Incentives do increase the efficacy, but only marginally increase user appreciation, indicating that users may mistrust strategic routing that relies too strongly on incentives.

BACKGROUND Radioiodine therapy (131I) is a standard procedure in the treatment of hyperthyroidism in the course of Graves' disease or toxic nodules. However, the use of 131I in patients with low radioiodine uptake (RAIU) may be controversial. OBJECTIVES To determine the influence of lithium carbonate (Li) on iodine kinetics. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients with hyperthyroidism and low RAIU (< 30%) were divided into 2 groups: a Li(-) group of 305 patients not receiving Li adjuvant therapy and a Li(+) group of 264 patients receiving adjuvant therapy. The serum concentrations of free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were assessed at baseline, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 96 h, and 1, 6 and 12 months after 131I therapy. The RAIU was assessed after 5 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h. RESULTS Levels of fT3 in the Li(+) group compared to the Li(-) group were significantly higher at baseline, lower after 48 h, 72 h, 96 h and 1 month, and did not differ significantly after 24 h, 6 months and 12 months. Levels of fT4 in the Li(+) group compared to the Li(-) group were significantly higher at baseline, lower after 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h and 1 month, and not differ significantly after 6 and 12 months. The RAIU in the hyperthyroidism Li(-) and Li(+) groups, respectively, was 11.9 ±5.6% compared to 23.9 ±10.1% (p < 0.001) after 5 h; 25.9 ±8.3% compared to 40.5 ±12.4% (p < 0.05) after 24 h; 7.8 ±8.1% compared to 40.9 ±13.7% (p < 0.05) after 48 h; 26.2 ±10.2% compared to 39.5 ±11.2% (p < 0.01) after 72 h; and 24.7 ±7.1% compared to 37.4 ±10.1% (p < 0.01) after 96 h. CONCLUSIONS Adjuvant therapy with Li in patients with hyperthyroidism caused a significant increase in RAIU and positive changes in the fT3 and fT4 profiles. The use of lithium carbonate prior to the inclusion of 131I in hyperthyroid patients with low RAIU should be considered.

Certain ultrasound features are associated with an increased risk of thyroid malignancy. However, they were studied mainly in papillary thyroid cancers (PTCs), these results cannot be simply extrapolated for the differentiation of follicular thyroid adenomas and cancers (FTAs and FTCs). The aim of our study was to perform a meta-analysis to identify sonographic features suggesting malignancy in the case of follicular lesions, potentially differentiating FTA and FTC. We searched thirteen databases from January 2006 to December 2020 to find all relevant, full-text journal articles written in English. Analyses assessed the accuracy of malignancy detection in case of follicular lesions, potentially differentiating FTA and FTC included the odds ratio (OR), sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values. A random-effects model was used to summarize collected data. Twenty studies describing sonographic features of 10,215 nodules met the inclusion criteria. The highest overall ORs to increase the risk of malignancy were calculated for tumor protrusion (OR = 10.19, 95% confidence interval: 2.62–39.71), microcalcifications or mixed type of calcifications (coexisting micro and macrocalcifications): 6.09 (3.22–11.50), irregular margins: 5.11 (2.90–8.99), marked hypoechogenicity: 4.59 (3.23–6.54), and irregular shape: 3.6 (1.19–10.92). The most crucial feature associated with an increased risk of FTC is capsule protrusion, followed by the presence of calcifications, irrespectively of their type.

BACKGROUNDGenetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility is widely used, but for many genes,evidence of an association with breast cancer is weak, underlying risk estimatesare imprecise, and reliable subtype-specific risk estimates are lacking.METHODSWe used a panel of 34 putative susceptibility genes to perform sequencing onsamples from 60,466 women with breast cancer and 53,461 controls. In separateanalyses for protein-truncating variants and rare missense variants in these genes,we estimated odds ratios for breast cancer overall and tumor subtypes. We evaluatedmissense-variant associations according to domain and classification of pathogenicity.RESULTSProtein-truncating variants in 5 genes (ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, and PALB2)were associated with a risk of breast cancer overall with a P value of less than0.0001. Protein-truncating variants in 4 other genes (BARD1, RAD51C, RAD51D,and TP53) were associated with a risk of breast cancer overall with a P value ofless than 0.05 and a Bayesian false-discovery probability of less than 0.05. Forprotein-truncating variants in 19 of the remaining 25 genes, the upper limit ofthe 95% confidence interval of the odds ratio for breast cancer overall was lessthan 2.0. For protein-truncating variants in ATM and CHEK2, odds ratios werehigher for estrogen receptor (ER)–positive disease than for ER-negative disease;for protein-truncating variants in BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, RAD51C, andRAD51D, odds ratios were higher for ER-negative disease than for ER-positivedisease. Rare missense variants (in aggregate) in ATM, CHEK2, and TP53 wereassociated with a risk of breast cancer overall with a P value of less than 0.001.For BRCA1, BRCA2, and TP53, missense variants (in aggregate) that would be classified as pathogenic according to standard criteria were associated with a riskof breast cancer overall, with the risk being similar to that of protein-truncatingvariants.CONCLUSIONSThe results of this study define the genes that are most clinically useful for inclusion on panels for the prediction of breast cancer risk, as well as provide estimatesof the risks associated with protein-truncating variants, to guide genetic counseling. (Funded by European Union Horizon 2020 programs and others.)

Background/aim Examine features of blood and lymphatic vessels in ovarian tumors and their significance to prognosis of ovarian cancer. Patients and methods A total of 139 women with epithelial ovarian tumors were included: 86 malignant, 17 borderline and 36 benign. Density, percentage, mean size and number of blood microvessels in tumors were measured by immunohistochemistry with antibodies against CD34 and CD105. Lymphatic vessel density was assayed using the D2-40 antibody against podoplanin. Results Angiogenesis was most profuse in malignant tumors. Small size of lymph vessels predicted 26% shorter 5-year survival of ovarian cancer patients. Further, high percentage of lymphatic vessels in tumors was associated with lymph node metastasis, and high density with cancer recurrence. Lower number of microvessels, as assessed by CD34 staining, predicted shorter progression-free survival. Additionally, the large size of microvessels assessed by CD34 and the high number of vessels assessed by CD105 were related to residual tumor >1 cm at primary surgery and also, large vessel size was associated with stage III, as assessed by CD105 staining. Conclusion CD34 and CD105 define different characteristics of microvessels. Parameters of lymph vessels may predict the prognosis of ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND There are scarce data on the hypomineralisation of other permanent teeth (HOPT) than the index teeth of Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation (MIH). AIM To report on the prevalence and surface pattern of HOPT and seek associations with MIH. DESIGN Representative samples of urban Greek 14-year-olds were examined in classroom with a dental mirror. Their enamel defects were recorded using EAPD criteria for MIH. Descriptive statistics and correlation tests for HOPT vs previously reported MIH findings in the same samples were applied. RESULTS HOPT prevalence in 1156 consented adolescents was 22.9%. 148 (16.2%) of 912 no-MIH children had HOPT; 117 (48.1%) of the 244 MIH children had HOPT too (OR 3.0, 95% CI 2.4-3.6). There were more HOPT teeth per child in the MIH vs no-MIH children (P

Background High tumor mutation burden is shown to be associated with a poor clinical outcome. As the tumor‐derived fraction of circulating cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) is shown to reflect the genetic spectrum of the tumor, we examined whether the mutation burden of cfDNA could be used to predict the clinical outcomes of early‐stage breast cancer (BC) patients. Methods We selected a set of 79 Finnish early‐stage BC cases with a good prognosis based on traditional prognostic parameters but some of which still developed relapsed disease during follow‐up. cfDNA was isolated from the serum collected at the time of diagnosis, sequenced, and compared to matched primary tumors, clinical parameters, and survival data. Results High cfDNA mutation burden was associated with the poor relapse‐free survival (RFS) (P = .016, HR = 2.23, 95% Cl 1.16‐4.27) when patients were divided into high and low mutation burden according to the median number of somatic variants. A high discordance was observed between the matched tumor and cfDNA samples, thus highlighting the challenges related to the liquid biopsy of early‐stage cancer cases. Despite the low number of detected tumor‐specific variants, the presence of tumor‐specific somatic variants in the cfDNA was associated with the poor RFS (P = .009, HR = 2.31, 95% Cl 1.23‐4.31). Conclusions Our results confirm previously observed challenges about the accuracy of liquid biopsy‐based genotyping of early‐stage cancers and support the parallel sequencing of tumor and cfDNA while also demonstrating how the presence of tumor‐specific somatic variants and the high mutation burden in the cfDNA are both associated with the poor RFS, thus indicating the prognostic potential of liquid biopsy in the context of early‐stage cancers., High mutation burden and the presence of tumor‐specific mutations in circulating cell‐free DNA in early‐stage breast cancer patients were observed to be associated with a poor relapse‐free survival. Our results suggest that the liquid biopsy of early‐stage cancers might provide potential benefits when making primary prognosis despite the challenges that are associated with the liquid biopsy of early‐stage cancers.

BACKGROUND: Social distancing measures are used to reduce the spreading of infection. Our aim was to assess the immediate effects of national lockdown orders due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on pediatric emergency room (ER) visits and respiratory tract infections in hospitals and nationwide in Finland. METHODS: This register-based study used hospital patient information systems and the Finnish national infectious disease register. The participants were all patients visiting pediatric ER in 2 Finnish hospitals (Kuopio University Hospital, Mikkeli Central Hospital) covering 1/5th of the Finnish children population, 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after the start of the nationwide lockdown on March 16, 2020. Nationwide weekly numbers of influenza (A + B) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children were assessed from the infectious disease register from 2015 to 2020. RESULTS: A major decrease in the rate of daily median pediatric ER visits was detected in both hospitals in the study during the nationwide lockdown compared with the study period before the lockdown (Mikkeli, 19 vs. 7, P < 0.001; Kuopio, 9 vs. 2,5, P < 0.001). The influenza season was shorter (8 weeks from peak to no cases), and the weekly rate of new cases decreased faster compared with the previous 4 influenza seasons (previously 15-20 weeks from peak to no cases). A similar decrease was also seen in RSV cases. No pediatric cases of COVID-19 were found in participating hospitals during the study period. CONCLUSION: These results strongly suggest that social distancing and other lockdown strategies are effective to slow down the spreading of common respiratory viral diseases and decreasing the need for hospitalization among children.

Most neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) are characterized by the presence of somatostatin receptors (SSTR) which we use in location diagnostics and treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of somatostatin receptors by immunohistochemistry in tissue obtained after surgery of the primary focus in the small intestine. The group of patients consisted of 41 people, in 18 cases the primary tumor was in the jejunum and in 23 in the ileum. The immunohistochemical method was used to visualize the receptors, using polyclonal antibodies in a two-stage peroxidase method. In patients with NEN of the small intestine, the SSTR2a and SSTR5 receptors are most commonly expressed, followed by SSTR2b and 3. In statistical analysis, it was shown that the expression of somatostatin receptors was not dependent on the primary site of the tumor (p > 0.05). The dependence of SSTR expression on histological maturity is evident. SSTR1, SSTR2b, SSTR3 and SSTR5 are more common in tumors with grading G1 (p

Prematurity in itself and exposure to neonatal intensive care triggers inflammatory processes and oxidative stress, leading to risk for disease later in life. The effects on cellular aging processes are incompletely understood. Relative telomere length (RTL) was measured by qPCR in this longitudinal cohort study with blood samples taken at birth and at 2 years of age from 60 children (16 preterm and 44 term). Viral respiratory infections the first year were evaluated. Epigenetic biological DNA methylation (DNAm) age was predicted based on methylation array data in 23 children (11 preterm and 12 term). RTL change/year and DNAm age change/year was compared in preterm and term during the 2 first years of life. Preterm infants had longer telomeres than term born at birth and at 2 years of age, but no difference in telomere attrition rate could be detected. Predicted epigenetic DNAm age was younger in preterm infants, but rate of DNAm aging was similar in both groups. Despite early exposure to risk factors for accelerated cellular aging, children born preterm exhibited preserved telomeres. Stress during the neonatal intensive care period did not reflect accelerated epigenetic DNAm aging. Early-life aging was not explained by preterm birth.

We are entering a new, unprecedented global economic and social era following the COVID-19 pandemic, in which there will be opportunities and threats for the goods and services provided. Traditional foods (TFs) could have their chances in the new food chain which will be developed, as long as they become the food of choice for the consumers of the future. This paper investigates consumers’ trust in Greek TFs, and northwest Greek TFs, in order to assess their potential consumption in the new economy. Trust was tested using the variables of safety, healthiness, sustainability, authenticity and taste, assessing consumers’ confidence and satisfaction with the TFs, their raw materials, and the technologies used for their production. A self-response questionnaire survey was carried out in May and June 2021 on a sample of 548 participants through the Google platform. In order to analyze the data, basic descriptive statistical tools were used, combined with crosstabs and chi-square tests. The results show that the participants trust the Greek TFs because they “strongly agree” by an average of 20%, and “agree” by an average of 50% that they are safe, healthy, sustainable, authentic and tasty. A similar pattern was recorded for the regional northwest Greek TFs as well. These results indicate that TFs could be the food of choice because they bear consumers’ trust in the coming “new normality”, where trust will be a major factor of choice for the purchase of goods and services. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

In the rising new global economic and social period, after the COVID-19 pandemic, traceability is expected to be a critical parameter for the selection of foods by consumers worldwide. Accordingly, traditional foods (TFs) can become the foods of choice in the new era due to their originality, authenticity, unique organoleptic properties, and locality. In this paper, the consumers’ perception on traceability regarding Greek TFs and northwest Greek TFs is investigated, in order to find out the specific information they require for the purchase of these foods. Traceability was tested using variables related to package, product, quality, process, and personal information of these foods. A self-response questionnaire survey was carried out in September and October 2021 on a sample of 1707 participants through the Google platform. The results show that the participants consider traceability regarding questions on package information “quite important” and “very important” by an average of 68%, on food information by 64%, on quality information by 69%, on production process information by 78%, and on personal information by 65%. A similar pattern was recorded for the regional northwest Greek TFs for information on production process, personal, and package data, although there was a significant increase in the perception by the participants for data related to food information itself by 87% and more related to quality information by 94%.

Currently, the needs for new technologies are rising and especially due to Covid-19. The world is changing into a digital theater of businesses and educational processes. Consequently, tele-health is constantly enriched with new scientific areas of expertise, a fact that gives a new and promising perspective for people who cannot reach in-time a specialist. Specifically, for the case of speech language therapy (SLT), new techniques emerge and involve telepractice and tele-counceling. In turn, the aim of the present study was to discover a model of predicting potential benefits from the online form of speech and language therapy (distant sessions) along with the view of the involved speech therapists and parents. For this purpose, a hypothetical sample of specialists and parents, was produced as being supposedly participated into sessions with their children for evaluating the overall performance of each technique (live and distant) with a total score. Thereinafter, statistical analyses were performed and the relevant machine learning was applied for building an artificial neural network for examining the results, in order to show the capabilities of the proposed model. This outcome is important as it can actuate SLT scientific area to include, in the future, more advanced techniques for distant sessions, concluding to even surpassing the classical technique.

Background An appreciable proportion of patients in need of salvage high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation (PBSCT) fail to mobilize adequate numbers of hematopoietic progenitors, and plerixafor is applied for that purpose. Limited data exist on remobilization of PBSCs in patients who have relapsed after prior HDC + PBSCT. Herein, we report on consecutive patients that had undergone successful prior single or tandem HDC for a variety of malignant neoplasms in our institution, and later required re-mobilization of PBSCs in order to support further HDC cycles. Patients and Methods Plerixafor was administered in combination with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor alone, or after mobilizing chemotherapy. Five patients, 2 B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, 1 multiple myeloma, 1 germ-cell tumor, and 1 Ewing sarcoma, having relapsed after prior HDC + PBSCT, were deemed candidates for further cycle(s) of PBSC-supported HDC. Plerixafor was applied in a “just-in-time” strategy after low CD34+ numbers were measured on the first day of anticipated hematopoietic stem cell collection (non-Hodgkin lymphoma, germ-cell tumor, and Ewing sarcoma), or pre-emptively in multiple myeloma. Results Successful collection of adequate PBSCs was achieved in all patients, from 1.8 to 3.8 × 106/kg after a median of 2 (range, 1-3) leukaphereses; 4 of 5 patients underwent subsequent HDC + PBSCT and engrafted after a median of 11 days (range, 9-55 days) and 25 days (range, 17-76 days) for neutrophils and platelets, respectively. Conclusion Plerixafor proved effective to mobilize adequate numbers of PBSCs in individual patients with relapsed malignancies after prior single or tandem HDC + PBSCT. These PBSCs could establish sustained multi-lineage hematopoietic engraftment without any sequelae.

BACKGROUND The use of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in infants has increased during the last decades, making the need for equipment- and ethnic-specific reference data mandatory for appropriate interpretation of the results. AIM Our aim was to investigate how well the already published reference equations for infant spirometry fit a healthy population of Swedish infants. METHOD We performed forced tidal and raised volume expiratory maneuvers in healthy infants using Jaeger BabyBody equipment. RESULTS PFT data were collected from 91 healthy infants aged between 3 months to 2 years at 143 occasions. Mean (standard deviation) z-scores were 0.68(1.33) for maximal flow at functional residual capacity (V'max FRC), -0.15(0.96) for forced vital capacity (FVC), 0.40(1.33) for the forced expired volume in the initial 0.5 seconds (FEV0.5 ) and 0.52(0.93) for the ratio FEV0.5 /FVC, respectively. Z-scores for all indices but FEV0.5 /FVC were highly dependent on length. CONCLUSIONS We have shown that the use of previously published reference equations may result in an age-related misinterpretation of lung function measure in a Swedish infant population.

The heat transfer effect is observed from existing defects through heat diffusion to the sound area of the sample in long term after the sample has reached values close to the initial, signifying equilibrium with the environment. Two complementary systems providing the kinetic and thermal information of the samples were used to construct a real-time monitoring workstation in order to monitor the real-time responses of the sample after thermal excitation. Results indicate that the defect boundaries and the sound non-defect area continue to exchange thermal values long after the total area of the sample reaches initial temperature in equilibrium with environment. Hence, it is here suggested that the continuous aging of artworks in controlled environments may be a result of the ongoing low thermal heat transfer from the defect to the sound areas provoking a slow but steady surface displacement and consequently deterioration mechanism against the preventive conservation measures based on environmental equilibrium.

Voice disorders often remain undiagnosed. Many self-perceived questionnaires exist for various medical conditions. Here, we used the Greek Voice Handicap Index (VHI) to address the aforementioned problem. Everyone can fill in the VHI questionnaire and rate their symptoms easily. The innovative feature of this research is the global cut-off score calculated for the VHI. Therefore, the VHI is now capable of helping clinicians establish a more customizable treatment plan with the cut-off point identifying patients without normal phonation. For the purpose of finding the global cut-off point, a group of 180 participants was recruited in Greece (90 non-dysphonic participants and 90 with different types of dysphonia). The voice disordered group had higher VHI scores than those of the control group. In contrast to previous studies, we provided and validated for the first time the cut-off points for all VHI domains and, finally, a global cut-off point through ROC and precision-recall analysis in a voice disordered population. In practice, a score higher than the well-estimated global score indicates (without intervention) a possible voice disorder. Nevertheless, if the score is near the threshold, then the patient should definitely follow preventive measures.

Background In many malignancies including ovarian cancer, different angiogenic factors have been related to poor prognosis. However, data on their relations to each other or importance as a prognostic factor in ovarian cancer is missing. Therefore, we investigated the expressions of VEGF-A, VEGF-C, and VEGF-D, and the receptors VEGFR1, VEGFR2, and VEGFR3 in patients with malignant epithelial ovarian neoplasms. We further compared expression levels between primary tumors and related distant omental metastases. Methods This study included 86 patients with malignant ovarian epithelial tumors and 16 related distant metastases. Angiogenic factor expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry (n = 102) and qRT-PCR (n = 29). Results Compared to primary high grade serous ovarian tumors, the related omental metastases showed higher expressions of VEGF-A (p = 0.022), VEGF-D (p = 0.010), and VEGFR1 (p = 0.046). In univariate survival analysis, low epithelial expression of VEGF-A in primary tumors was associated with poor prognosis (p = 0.024), and short progression-free survival was associated with high VEGF-C (p = 0.034) and low VEGFR3 (p = 0.002). The relative expressions of VEGF-D, VEGFR1, VEGFR2, and VEGFR3 mRNA determined by qRT-PCR analyses were significantly correlated with the immunohistochemically detected levels of these proteins in primary high grade serous ovarian cancer and metastases (p = 0.004, p = 0.009, p = 0.015, and p = 0.018, respectively). Conclusions The expressions of VEGF receptors and their ligands significantly differed between malignant ovarian tumors and paired distant metastases. VEGF-A, VEGF-D, and VEGFR1 protein expressions seem to be higher in distant metastases than in the primary high grade serous ovarian cancer lesions.

International audience; France and Canada prehospital systems and care delivery in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) show substantial differences. This article aims to describe the rationale, design, implementation and expected research implications of the international, population-based, France-Canada registry for OHCAs, namely ReACanROC, which is built from the merging of two nation-wide, population-based, Utstein-style prospectively implemented registries for OHCAs attended to by emergency medical services. Under the supervision of an international steering committee and research network, the ReACanROC dataset will be used to run in-depth analyses on the differences in organisational, practical and geographic predictors of survival after OHCA between France and Canada. ReACanROC is the first Europe-North America registry ever created to meet this goal. To date, it covers close to 80 million people over the two countries, and includes approximately 200 000 cases over a 10-year period.

The data demonstrating a correlation between sonographic markers of malignancy of thyroid cancer (TC) and its genetic status are scarce. This study aimed to assess whether the addition of genetic analysis at the preoperative step of TC patients’ stratification could aid their clinical management. The material consisted of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor fragments of 49 patients who underwent thyroidectomy during the early stages of papillary TC (PTC). Tumor DNA and RNA were subjected to next-generation sequencing (NGS) on Ion Proton using the Oncomine™ Comprehensive Assay panel. We observed a significant correlation between BRAF V600E and a higher EU-TIRADS score (p-value = 0.02) with a correlation between hypoechogenicity and taller-than-wide tumor shape in analysed patients. There were no other significant associations between the identified genetic variants and other clinicopathological features. For TC patient’s stratification, a strong suspicion of BRAF V600E negativity in preoperative management of TC patients could limit the over-treatment of asymptomatic, very low-risk, indolent disease and leave room for active surveillance.

Traditional foods (TFs) have a significant impact on the society and the economy of the areas where they are produced. The COVID-19 crisis, with the restrictions on daily living, is expected to cause a long-term influence on peoples’ lives worldwide. This paper investigates the consumers’ attitude and perception of TFs of northwest Greece in order to assess the possible impact of the pandemic toward the consumption of this kind of food. A questionnaire survey of self-response was carried out in fall 2020 on a sample of 510 participants through the Google platform. To analyze the data, basic descriptive statistical tools were used, combined with crosstabs and chi-square tests. The results revealed that the participants know the regional TFs well, continue to choose them due to a number of reasons, which include: the quality to price ratio, being local products with local raw materials, the nutritional properties, the social impact, as well as their positive impact to the regional economy and promotion. They buy them primarily from the supermarkets. They would recommend them to others, and they have increased their consumption during the pandemic, even though they consider their marketing inadequate, and they do not purchase them through the Internet yet. They believe that consumers in other regions of Greece would buy them if they had access to them. The foods of choice are traditional cheese and other dairy products, followed by wines, and aromatic herbs, which are the main regional TFs. These results indicate that the COVID-19 crisis has not interfered in consumers’ attitudes and perceptions regarding TFs, therefore, they have the potential to expand and grow further in the future. In fact, they can play a vital role as major economic drivers in the post-COVID-19 era for the regional and local economies of Europe and elsewhere.

Background Epidemiological studies provide strong evidence for a role of endogenous sex hormones in the aetiology of breast cancer. The aim of this analysis was to identify genetic variants that are associated with urinary sex-hormone levels and breast cancer risk. Methods We carried out a genome-wide association study of urinary oestrone-3-glucuronide and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide levels in 560 premenopausal women, with additional analysis of progesterone levels in 298 premenopausal women. To test for the association with breast cancer risk, we carried out follow-up genotyping in 90,916 cases and 89,893 controls from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. All women were of European ancestry. Results For pregnanediol-3-glucuronide, there were no genome-wide significant associations; for oestrone-3-glucuronide, we identified a single peak mapping to the CYP3A locus, annotated by rs45446698. The minor rs45446698-C allele was associated with lower oestrone-3-glucuronide (−49.2%, 95% CI −56.1% to −41.1%, P = 3.1 × 10–18); in follow-up analyses, rs45446698-C was also associated with lower progesterone (−26.7%, 95% CI −39.4% to −11.6%, P = 0.001) and reduced risk of oestrogen and progesterone receptor-positive breast cancer (OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.82–0.91, P = 6.9 × 10–8). Conclusions The CYP3A7*1C allele is associated with reduced risk of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer possibly mediated via an effect on the metabolism of endogenous sex hormones in premenopausal women.

Mood disorders are chronic, recurrent diseases characterized by changes in mood and emotions. The most common are major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Molecular biology studies have indicated an involvement of the immune system in the pathogenesis of mood disorders, and showed their correlation with altered levels of inflammatory markers and energy metabolism. Previous reports, including meta-analyses, also suggested the role of microglia activation in the M1 polarized macrophages, reflecting the pro-inflammatory phenotype. Lithium is an effective mood stabilizer used to treat both manic and depressive episodes in bipolar disorder, and as an augmentation of the antidepressant treatment of depression with a multidimensional mode of action. This review aims to summarize the molecular studies regarding inflammation, microglia activation and energy metabolism changes in mood disorders. We also aimed to outline the impact of lithium on these changes and discuss its immunomodulatory effect in mood disorders.

Objective To evaluate the effects of therapeutic heparin compared with prophylactic heparin among moderately ill patients with covid-19 admitted to hospital wards. Design Randomised controlled, adaptive, open label clinical trial. Setting 28 hospitals in Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and US. Participants 465 adults admitted to hospital wards with covid-19 and increased D-dimer levels were recruited between 29 May 2020 and 12 April 2021 and were randomly assigned to therapeutic dose heparin (n=228) or prophylactic dose heparin (n=237). Interventions Therapeutic dose or prophylactic dose heparin (low molecular weight or unfractionated heparin), to be continued until hospital discharge, day 28, or death. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was a composite of death, invasive mechanical ventilation, non-invasive mechanical ventilation, or admission to an intensive care unit, assessed up to 28 days. The secondary outcomes included all cause death, the composite of all cause death or any mechanical ventilation, and venous thromboembolism. Safety outcomes included major bleeding. Outcomes were blindly adjudicated. Results The mean age of participants was 60 years; 264 (56.8%) were men and the mean body mass index was 30.3 kg/m 2 . At 28 days, the primary composite outcome had occurred in 37/228 patients (16.2%) assigned to therapeutic heparin and 52/237 (21.9%) assigned to prophylactic heparin (odds ratio 0.69, 95% confidence interval 0.43 to 1.10; P=0.12). Deaths occurred in four patients (1.8%) assigned to therapeutic heparin and 18 patients (7.6%) assigned to prophylactic heparin (0.22, 0.07 to 0.65; P=0.006). The composite of all cause death or any mechanical ventilation occurred in 23 patients (10.1%) assigned to therapeutic heparin and 38 (16.0%) assigned to prophylactic heparin (0.59, 0.34 to 1.02; P=0.06). Venous thromboembolism occurred in two patients (0.9%) assigned to therapeutic heparin and six (2.5%) assigned to prophylactic heparin (0.34, 0.07 to 1.71; P=0.19). Major bleeding occurred in two patients (0.9%) assigned to therapeutic heparin and four (1.7%) assigned to prophylactic heparin (0.52, 0.09 to 2.85; P=0.69). Conclusions In moderately ill patients with covid-19 and increased D-dimer levels admitted to hospital wards, therapeutic heparin was not significantly associated with a reduction in the primary outcome but the odds of death at 28 days was decreased. The risk of major bleeding appeared low in this trial. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04362085 .

Simple Summary The present review summarizes the findings of recent studies on innovative seafood processing technologies including high hydrostatic pressure, natural preservatives, ozonation, irradiation, pulse light technology and retort pouch processing as well as referencing the legal aspects pertaining to these technologies. Abstract Fish and fishery products are among the food commodities of high commercial value, high-quality protein content, vitamins, minerals and unsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial to health. However, seafood products are highly perishable and thus require proper processing to maintain their quality and safety. On the other hand, consumers, nowadays, demand fresh or fresh-like, minimally processed fishery products that do not alter their natural quality attributes. The present article reviews the results of studies published over the last 15 years in the literature on: (i) the main spoilage mechanisms of seafood including contamination with pathogens and (ii) innovative processing technologies applied for the preservation and shelf life extension of seafood products. These primarily include: high hydrostatic pressure, natural preservatives, ozonation, irradiation, pulse light technology and retort pouch processing.

Lithium has been the most important mood stabilizer used for the treatment of bipolar disorder and prophylaxis of manic and depressive episodes. Despite long use in clinical practice, the exact molecular mechanisms of lithium are still not well identified. Previous experimental studies produced inconsistent results due to different duration of lithium treatment and using animals without manic-like or depressive-like symptoms. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the gene expression profile in three brain regions (amygdala, frontal cortex and hippocampus) in the rat model of mania and depression during chronic lithium administration (2 and 4 weeks). Behavioral changes were verified by the forced swim test, open field test and elevated maze test. After the experiment, nucleic acid was extracted from the frontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala. Gene expression profile was done using SurePrint G3 Rat Gene Expression whole transcriptome microarrays. Data were analyzed using Gene Spring 14.9 software. We found that chronic lithium treatment significantly influenced gene expression profile in both mania and depression models. In manic rats, chronic lithium treatment significantly influenced the expression of the genes enriched in olfactory and taste transduction pathway and long non-coding RNAs in all three brain regions. We report here for the first time that genes regulating olfactory and taste receptor pathways and long non-coding RNAs may be targeted by chronic lithium treatment in the animal model of mania.

About 6,000 to 7,000 different rare disorders with suspected genetic etiologies have been described and in almost 4,500 of them the causative gene(s) have been identified. The advent of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies has revolutionized genomic research and diagnostics, representing a major advance in identification of pathogenic genetic variations. WES facilitates a faster and more cost-effective route for definite diagnosis of rare genetic disorders, minimizing previous “diagnostic odysseys” for the patients. Due to the limitation that WES is not reimbursed in Greece, we aimed to minimize cost per patient/family through applying WES in the proband, followed by targeted family segregation studies when necessary. Furthermore, for variant filtration and interpretation we applied a phenotypic-driven strategy in close collaboration with clinical geneticists or referring clinicians. In this study we report the clinical application of WES in the diagnosis of 162 cases referred to investigate patients with undiagnosed genetic disorders. The overall molecular diagnostic yield reached 52.5%. Our experience as an academic diagnostic laboratory using WES, although limited to the last two years, allowed characterization of 94 pathogenic variants in 85 positive cases, 48 of which were novel, contributing information to the community of disease and variant databases.

Knowledge and visualization of the present-day relationship between earthquakes, active tectonics and crustal deformation is a key to understanding geodynamic processes, and is also essential for risk mitigation and the management of geo-reservoirs for energy and waste. The study of the complexity of the Greek tectonics has been the subject of intense efforts of our working group, employing multidisciplinary methodologies that include detailed geological mapping, geophysical and seismological data processing using innovative methods and geodetic data processing, involved in surveying at various scales. The data and results from these studies are merged with existing or updated datasets to compose the new Seismotectonic Atlas of Greece. The main objective of the Atlas is to harmonize and integrate the most recent seismological, geological, tectonic, geophysical and geodetic data in an interactive, online GIS environment. To demonstrate the wealth of information available in the end product, herein, we present thematic layers of important seismotectonic and geophysical content, which facilitates the comprehensive visualization and first order insight into seismic and other risks of the Greek territories. The future prospect of the Atlas is the incorporation of tools and algorithms for joint analysis and appraisal of these datasets, so as to enable rapid seismotectonic analysis and scenario-based seismic risk assessment.

Background Folates, including folic acid, may play a dual role in colorectal cancer development. Folate is suggested to be protective in early carcinogenesis but could accelerate growth of premalignant lesions or micrometastases. Whether circulating concentrations of folate and folic acid, measured around time of diagnosis, are associated with recurrence and survival in colorectal cancer patients is largely unknown. Methods Circulating concentrations of folate, folic acid, and folate catabolites p-aminobenzoylglutamate and p-acetamidobenzoylglutamate were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry at diagnosis in 2024 stage I-III colorectal cancer patients from European and US patient cohort studies. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess associations between folate, folic acid, and folate catabolites concentrations with recurrence, overall survival, and disease-free survival. Results No statistically significant associations were observed between folate, p-aminobenzoylglutamate, and p-acetamidobenzoylglutamate concentrations and recurrence, overall survival, and disease-free survival, with hazard ratios ranging from 0.92 to 1.16. The detection of folic acid in the circulation (yes or no) was not associated with any outcome. However, among patients with detectable folic acid concentrations (n = 296), a higher risk of recurrence was observed for each twofold increase in folic acid (hazard ratio = 1.31, 95% confidence interval = 1.02 to 1.58). No statistically significant associations were found between folic acid concentrations and overall and disease-free survival. Conclusions Circulating folate and folate catabolite concentrations at colorectal cancer diagnosis were not associated with recurrence and survival. However, caution is warranted for high blood concentrations of folic acid because they may increase the risk of colorectal cancer recurrence.

Summary Objective The inclusion of subjective methods for evaluating Voice Disorders is proven an essential factor for diagnosis as these methods include self-reported questionnaires (eg, Voice Handicap Index-VHI) for everyday clinical practice. In turn, by obtaining cut-off scores of self-perceived questionnaires intended for assessment procedures of different voice disorders (eg, patients with neurological problems), the clinicians might be helped toward finding their patients’ needs leading to better monitoring, and treatment suggestions. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to estimate the cut-off scores for the Greek VHI relevant to patients with neurogenic voice disorders. Methods Ninety subjects participated in this research. Sixty-six of them served as the control group while the remaining 24 patients exhibited Neurogenic Voice Disorders (eg, spasmodic dysphonia or vocal fold paralysis). They filled in the VHI and the Voice Evaluation Template. All participants were examined with the use of video laryngeal endoscopy and stroboscopy. Results The analysis revealed higher medians in all domains (of the VHI) for the patients compared to the control group. The cut-off points were estimated at the values of 24.50 (Total Score–AUC 0.932, P = 0.000), 9.00 (Functional Domain–AUC 0.917, P = 0.000), 10.00 (Physical Domain–AUC 0.948, P = 0.000), and 9.00 (Emotional Domain–AUC 0.830, P = 0.000). Conclusion The estimated cut-off scores are in agreement with previous studies. These scores could probably used to enhance therapeutic monitoring of patients who suffer from neurogenic voice disorders. This study underlines the importance of considering different cutoff points for individuals with voice disorders due to diverse neurogenic etiologies.

BACKGROUND/AIM MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). We aimed to investigate miRNAs and their relation to cancer-related signaling pathways in site-specific CRC. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used a total of 24 left- and right-sided Finnish CRC samples (discovery cohort) and The Cancer Genome Atlas public mature miRSeq dataset of 201 CRC samples (validation cohort). MiRNA differential expression and biological pathway analyses were performed using DESeq2 and the DIANA/mirPath tool, respectively. RESULTS We found 17 significantly differentially up-regulated [false discovery rate (FDR)

Citrus fruits are cultivated in more than 100 countries around the world. The main citrus fruit–producing counties are Brazil, China, and the USA although the whole Mediterranean region ranks first worldwide. In Greece, citrus occupy an area of about 40.000 ha, representing 43% of total fruit crops. Soil quality is affected by long-term citrus cultivation. Soil organic matter is depleted in long-term citrus cultivation, in contrast to nutrients that seemed to increase in the following descending order: POlsen > Naecxh > NO3-N > Kecxh > Caecxh > Mgecxh due to usual management practices. To evaluate the environmental impact due to broad use of Cu fungicides in long-term citrus cultivation, Cu total fraction and DTPA-extractable in agricultural soil were determined. Soil contamination rate was evaluated via proper indices of different sensitivities on their calculations. In particular, 22% of samples in older orchards were highly polluted based on the single-factor pollution index (PI). The index geo-accumulation index (Igeo) presented hysteresis in comparison with PI, which was more sensitive, comprehensive, and reliable, able to describe better the pollution classification of citrus soils. The calculation of monomial potential ecological risk for Cu showed that in older citrus groves, the average value was 11.8, while the max value was 49.8 indicating moderate ecological risk suggesting the negative environmental impact of intensive citrus cultivation. These results denote the need to preserve soil fertility and prevent potential toxic element accumulation due to long-term cultivation management practices, aiming to achieve soil sustainability and food security in National or Euro-Mediterranean scale.

Salvage high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation (ASCT) represents a potentially curative/survival extending treatment option in patients with a var...

Background Adults with physical disabilities typically engage in low levels of physical activity (PA), thus a better understanding of how motivational factors and behavior vary over time and in relation to disability type and severity is needed. Objective/Hypothesis To examine temporal changes in theory of planned behavior (TPB) constructs and PA by disability type (multiple sclerosis vs. spinal cord injury) and severity (mild, moderate, and severe). Methods Participants were 77 adults with physical disabilities who completed a web-based survey that assessed the TPB constructs and PA participation. The survey was completed once every four months for a total of three time points. Two-way repeated measures ANOVAs were used to examine if the TPB constructs and PA changed over time and in relation to disability type and severity. Results There was only one significant between-subjects effect for PA by disability severity, F (2, 68) = 5.94, p = .004, η2 = 15%. People with mild disabilities exhibited higher mean PA participation over the three time periods (M = 21.06 ± 11.49 MET-hrs/day) than those with moderate disabilities (M = 11.27 ± 9.3 MET-hrs/day) and severe disabilities (M = 13.43 ± 14.74 MET-hrs/day). Conclusions Although participants possessed positive PA motivational factors that remained stable over time, their PA participation was low and differed as a function of disability severity. Therefore, PA interventions should be tailored such that individuals with severe disabilities receive the greatest amount of exercise prescription consultations and supervision compared to those with more moderate and mild disabilities.

Cannabinoids are the derivatives of the cannabis plant, the most potent bioactive component of which is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The most commonly used drugs containing cannabinoids are marijuana, hashish, and hashish oil. These compounds exert their effects via interaction with the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2. Type 1 receptors (CB1) are localised mostly in the central nervous system and in the adipose tissue and many visceral organs, including most endocrine organs. Type 2 cannabinoid receptors (CB2) are positioned in the peripheral nervous system (peripheral nerve endings) and on the surface of the immune system cells. Recently, more and more attention has been paid to the role that endogenous ligands play for these receptors, as well as to the role of the receptors themselves. So far, endogenous cannabinoids have been confirmed to participate in the regulation of food intake and energy homeostasis of the body, and have a significant impact on the endocrine system, including the activity of the pituitary gland, adrenal cortex, thyroid gland, pancreas, and gonads. Interrelations between the endocannabinoid system and the activity of the endocrine system may be a therapeutic target for a number of drugs that have been proved effective in the treatment of infertility, obesity, diabetes, and even prevention of diseases associated with the cardiovascular system.

We aimed to analyze the potential influence of thyroid autoimmunity on visfatin/NAMPT serum concentration and its leukocyte expression in hyperthyroid patients. This is a single-center, cross-sectional study with consecutive enrollment. All patients with newly diagnosed overt hyperthyroidism in a course of Graves' disease or toxic nodular goiter were included in the study. They underwent physical examination, laboratory investigation, body composition analysis, and thyroid ultrasound. NAMPT mRNA leukocyte expressions were measured using RT-qPCR. Of the 173 patients, 95 were enrolled in further analysis [67 patients with Graves' disease (GD) and 28 with toxic nodular goiter (TNG)]. Control group consisted of 43 healthy volunteers adjusted for age, sex, and BMI. Higher NAMPT/visfatin serum concentration was found in patients with GD comparing with patients with TNG (p=0.03855). We found significant NAMPT leukocyte overexpression in GD patients (n=32) as compared to TNG patients (n=18) and euthyroid controls (n=24) (p=0.005965). Simple linear regression analysis revealed that NAMPT/visfatin serum concentration was significantly associated with NAMPT leukocyte expression, thyroid autoimmunity, age, HOMA-IR, and fat mass percentage (FM%). NAMPT leukocyte expression was related to thyroid autoimmunity, age, and TRAb levels. The stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed FM% and HOMA-IR as independent predictors of visfatin/NAMPT serum levels. In a separate stepwise multiple regression analysis, we confirmed the association between NAMPT leukocyte expression and TRAb levels. We found that fat mass percentage together with HOMA-IR are the most significant predictors of visfatin/NAMPT serum elevation in hyperthyroid patients.

We propose an effective machine learning approach to identify group of interacting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which contribute most to the breast cancer (BC) risk by assuming dependencies among BCAC iCOGS SNPs. We adopt a gradient tree boosting method followed by an adaptive iterative SNP search to capture complex non-linear SNP-SNP interactions and consequently, obtain group of interacting SNPs with high BC risk-predictive potential. We also propose a support vector machine formed by the identified SNPs to classify BC cases and controls. Our approach achieves mean average precision (mAP) of 72.66, 67.24 and 69.25 in discriminating BC cases and controls in KBCP, OBCS and merged KBCP-OBCS sample sets, respectively. These results are better than the mAP of 70.08, 63.61 and 66.41 obtained by using a polygenic risk score model derived from 51 known BC-associated SNPs, respectively, in KBCP, OBCS and merged KBCP-OBCS sample sets. BC subtype analysis further reveals that the 200 identified KBCP SNPs from the proposed method performs favorably in classifying estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and negative (ER−) BC cases both in KBCP and OBCS data. Further, a biological analysis of the identified SNPs reveals genes related to important BC-related mechanisms, estrogen metabolism and apoptosis.

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases constitute a major cause of health problems and death in developed countries across the world. The increased value of the index of distribution of red blood cells volume (RDW) may be a prognostic marker in patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure (CHF). Hypothyroid patients present higher RDW values if compared to healthy controls. Taking into consideration that RDW might be both affected by thyroid status and CHF, we decided to determine the effect of concomitant hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy (RIT) and CHF on hematological parameters. Materials and methods: Patients with toxic nodular goiter and heart failure with concomitant anemia were included. Patients underwent treatment with radioiodine before the planned heart transplant or pacemaker implantation (combined ICD/CRT-D). After RIT patients were divided into the three subgroups: with overt hypothyroidism (TSH ≥ 10µIU/mL, Group I), subclinically hypothyroid patients (TSH 4.3-9.0 µIU/mL, Group II) and with high-normal level of TSH (2.6-4.2 µIU/mL, Group III). Results: Significant correlation between TSH and RDW was observed (r=0.46; P

We report the preparation of discrete nanometer-scale zinc-based clusters and use them to form sub-15 nm structures by means of extreme ultraviolet lithography. By taking advantage of a metal-containing building unit derived by a metal–organic framework—MOF-2, we found the 3-methyl-phenyl-modified Zn-mTA cluster that formed is well-defined with controlled size and structure and demonstrates extremely high solubility. Progress in recent years in metal–organic frameworks has created a rich variety of metal-containing structures that are useful for numerous applications. Substitution of the bridging ligands with monovalent ligands produces a discrete metal–organic cluster that strongly interacts with soft X-rays at a wavelength of 13 nm. Here we describe the design, preparation, computational modeling, and physical characterization of these new materials. Such metal-containing structures may form the basis of photoresists that enable the next generation of microelectronic devices.

Purpose: Shear wave elastography (SWE) was described as valuable tool in the diagnostics of distinct types of thyroid lesions, thyroiditis and several other non-thyroidal conditions, such as liver inflammation and fibrosis or diagnostics of breast lesions. The aim of the current study was to assess the appearance of parathyroid adenomas in SWE and to check prospectively if SWE can be valuable additional tool in the diagnostics of pathologically enlarged parathyroids. Methods: Patients with parathyroid adenomas confirmed by histopathology were included. Subjects with benign thyroid lesions were enrolled to the control group. Elasticity of parathyroid adenomas and benign thyroid nodules was measured and compared. Results: Sixty five patients with parathyroid adenomas and 35 patients with 51 benign thyroid nodules were included. Parathyroid adenomas where significantly more elastic than benign thyroid nodules–mean elasticity of the lesion was 5.2 ± 7.2 vs. 24.3 ± 33.8 kPa, respectively. Relative mean elasticity (in comparison with surrounding thyroid tissue) was 0.30 ± 0.36 and 2.8 ± 3.9, respectively. Conclusions: SWE can be useful tool in the diagnostics of parathyroid adenomas. Enlarged parathyroids are significantly more elastic than benign thyroid lesions. Low elasticity of the lesion constitutes feature with high negative prognostic value, allowing for reliable exclusion of suspicion of parathyroid adenomas.

Objective(s): The cutting-edge assessment of voice disorders includes objective and subjective methods in the daily clinical practice. The latter assessment is usually performed through the administration of self-reported questionnaires. Voice Handicap Index (VHI) is one of the most widely used tools both in clinical practice and in research level. This tool-questionnaire was employed in this research along with the Voice Evaluation Template (VEF). In turn, the aim of this study was to analyse and produce the cut-off points of VHI for voice-disordered patients in Greece by using Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves (ROC Curves). Methods: Sixty-three participants (40 non-dysphonic and 23 with different types of dysphonia) were classified by ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) doctors and SLPs (Speech-Language Pathologists). The Hellenic VHI along with the translated Greek version of the VEF was administered to the subjects of this research. Results: The voice-disordered subjects exhibited higher overall VHI scores (in total and in its 3 subdomains) compared to the control group. Statistical significant differences were found between dysphonic and non-dysphonic participants for all VHI’s construct domains. The cut-off point of VHI total score was estimated at the value of 14.50 (sensitivity: 0.870, 1-specificity: 0.000). Moreover, the cut-off points of the three subdomains were computed as 7.50 for functional (sensitivity: 0.783, 1-specificity: 0.000), 8.50 for physical (sensitivity: 0.739, 1-specificity: 0.000) and 8.50 for emotional domain (sensitivity: 0.783, 1-specificity: 0.050). Conclusion: The preliminary statistical and ROC data analysis of VHI concluded that by using this type of assessment method, populations with or without voice disorders (in Greece) can be distinguished. Albeit this tool is a non-interventional method it could consequently offer an adequate screening and monitoring capability.

Objective(s): Laryngeal inflammations lead to voice disorders. Medical conditions such as chronic laryngitis, gastroesophageal reflux, laryngopharyngeal reflux, Reinke edema and/or vocal folds hemorrhage, result in diverse symptoms including chronic cough, throat cleaning and dysphonia (e.g. hoarseness). In turn, the dysphonic symptoms can be evaluated via subjective and objective procedures. The objective procedures usually include self-perceived questionnaires like the Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Studies reported that VHI can distinguish objectively dysphonic and non-dysphonic populations using the cut-off points of Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves. The purpose of this study was to calculate the cut-off points for individuals exhibiting voice symptoms which had been developed from laryngeal inflammatory diseases in Greece. Methods: One hundred and twelve participants (90 non-dysphonic and 22 dysphonic) filled in the Hellenic Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and the Greek translated version of Voice Evaluation Template (VEF) were administrated. All subjects were evaluated by an Otolaryngologist and a Speech-Language Pathologist. Results: The group with voice disorders exhibited higher VHI scores (in total and in its 3 subdomains) compared to non-dysphonic subgroup. Statistical significant differences were found for all VHI’s total cut-off point of 19.50 (sensitivity: 0.882, 1-specificity: 0.011) and for its three subdomains [functional 6.50 (sensitivity = 0.636, and 1-specificity = 0.022); physical 9.50 (sensitivity = 0.636, and 1-specificity = 0.000); emotional 6.50 (sensitivity = 0.455, and 1-specificity = 0.133)]. Conclusion: The preliminary results showed that VHI could discriminate individuals having voice disorders from laryngeal inflammations. The Voice Handicap Index can be used as a primary health care tool and a self-monitoring procedure in acute and sub-acute phases of the laryngeal inflammation.

We herein employ nonlinear laser imaging microscopy to explicitly study the dynamics of second harmonic generation (SHG) in silver iodide phosphate glasses. While glasses of this family have gained extensive scientific attention over the years due to their superior conducting properties, considerably less attention has been paid to their unique nonlinear optical characteristics. In the present study, firstly, it is demonstrated that SHG signal intensity is enhanced upon increasing silver content due to the random formation of silver microstructures within the glass network. Secondly, the SHG temperature dynamics were explored near the glass transition temperature (Tg) regime, where significant glass relaxation phenomena occur. It is found that heating towards the Tg improves the SHG efficiency, whereas above Tg, the capacity of glasses to generate second harmonic radiation is drastically suppressed. The novel findings of this work are considered important in terms of the potential employment of these glasses for the realization of advanced photonic applications like optical-switches and wavelength conversion devices.

The relationship between smoking and alterations of the vocal tract and larynx is well known. This pathology leads to the degradation of voice performance in daily living. Multiple assessment methods of vocal tract and larynx have been developed, and in recent years they were enriched with self-reported questionnaires such as Voice Handicap Index (VHI). This study determined the cutoff points of VHI's total score and its three domains for young female smokers in Greece. These estimated cutoff points could be used by voice specialists as an indicator for further clinical evaluation (foreseeing a potential risk of developing a vocal symptom because of smoking habits). A sample of 120 female nondysphonic smokers (aged 18-31) was recruited. Participants filled out the VHI and Voice Evaluation Form. VHI's cutoff point of total score was calculated at the value of 19.50 (sensitivity: 0.780, 1-specificity: 0.133). Specifically, the construct domain of functional was 7.50 (sensitivity: 0.900, 1-specificity: 0.217), for physical it was 8.50 (sensitivity: 0.867, 1-specificity: 0.483), and for emotional it was 7.50 (sensitivity: 0.833, 1-specificity: 0.200) through the use of receiver operating characteristic. Furthermore, VHI could be used as a monitoring tool for smokers and as a feedback for smoking cessation.

Diabetes insipidus is a disorder resulting from insufficient action of vasopressin (ADH) characterized by excretion of highly diluted urine in large amounts. Idiopathic diabetes insipidus is associated with the presence of both autoantibodies against ADH-secreting neurons and pituitary autoantibodies. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of autoantibodies against the pituitary microsomal fraction. The study included 33 sera of diabetes insipidus patients and 10 control sera obtained from 10 healthy persons. In all patients the secretion of pituitary hormones and thyroid autoantibodies was assessed. Human pituitaries were obtained during autopsy and homogenized in 0.01 mol/l pH 7.4 phosphate buffer. In addition, for the autoantibody evaluation, the electrophoretic method of separation in polyacrylamide gel and western blot were employed. Among the 33 subjects, in 23 patients the presence of autoantibodies against the pituitary was shown. Sera of 15 patients reacted with the pituitary microsomal fraction protein of 55 kDa. In other cases, 10 sera reacted with the pituitary antigen of 67 kDa. In addition, 5 sera reacted with the 60 kDa antigen, 5 sera with 52 kDa protein, 3 sera with 105 kDa protein, 3 sera with the 97 kDa antigen and 2 sera with pituitary antigen of 92 kDa weight. In our study, based on the immunoblotting method, we observed that pituitary autoantibodies against 55, 60 and 67 kDa antigens occurred frequently.

Background The morphological analysis of olive leaves, fruits and endocarps may represent an efficient tool for the characterization and discrimination of cultivars and the establishment of relationships among them. In recent years, much attention has been focused on the application of molecular markers, due to their high diagnostic efficiency and independence from environmental and phenological variables. Results In this study, we present a semi-automatic methodology of detecting various morphological parameters. With the aid of computing and image analysis tools, we created semi-automatic algorithms applying intuitive mathematical descriptors that quantify many fruit, leaf and endocarp morphological features. In particular, we examined quantitative and qualitative characters such as size, shape, symmetry, contour roughness and presence of additional structures such as nipple, petiole, endocarp surface roughness, etc.. Conclusion We illustrate the performance and the applicability of our approach on Greek olive cultivars; on sets of images from fruits, leaves and endocarps. In addition, the proposed methodology was also applied for the description of other crop species morphologies such as tomato, grapevine and pear. This allows us to describe crop morphologies efficiently and robustly in a semi-automated way. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13007-017-0261-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.