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BackgroundUlcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory disease of the colon and rectum. Treatment options include biologics and tofacitinib.ObjectivesWe aim to summarize the evidence on efficacy and safety of biologics and tofacitinib in moderate-to-severe UC.MethodsPubMed, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched to identify meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials assessing adalimumab, golimumab, infliximab, vedolizumab, and tofacitinib in UC. Efficacy outcomes included induction and maintenance of clinical response, clinical remission and mucosal healing. Safety outcomes included adverse events and serious adverse events.ResultsThe overview involved 31 meta-analyses. All four biologics and tofacitinib were superior to placebo regarding efficacy. Indirect comparisons suggested that infliximab may be better than adalimumab and golimumab to induce clinical response and mucosal healing. Safety analyses indicated no increased rates of adverse events, except for infliximab.ConclusionsBiologics and tofacitinib are efficacious and safe for treating UC. These findings can support clinical decision-making. 7 10 1285 1303

Identifying and linking people to care soon after HIV infection could limit viral transmission and protect their health. This work aims at describing the continuum of care among recently HIV-infected people who inject drugs (PWID) and participated in an intervention in the context of an HIV outbreak in Athens, Greece. The Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP) conducted risk network-based contact tracing and screened people for recent HIV infection. A comprehensive approach with a case management component that aimed to remove barriers to accessing care was adopted. Follow-up data on antiretroviral treatment (ART) and HIV-RNA levels were obtained from HIV clinics. TRIP enrolled 45 recently HIV-infected PWID (80% male) with a median viral load at recruitment of 5.43 log10 copies/mL. Of the recently infected persons in TRIP, 87% were linked to care of these, 77% started ART and of those on ART, 89% achieved viral load

This article presents data collected in a field, questionnaire-based survey about ethical issues in the Republic of Cyprus. The participants were students of the University of Cyprus, and physicians and other health professionals of the Medical School, University of Cyprus and of the Archbishop Makarios III Hospital. The questionnaire included items on sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, and on their knowledge and beliefs about three different ethical issues. Beliefs on the same ethical issues but under specific, hypothetical scenarios were also reported by the participants. The ethical issues examined included euthanasia, assisted suicide, and gender selection through in vitro fertilization. Data from 259 questionnaires were collected in March and April of 2018. 22 1031 1035

Background Flow cytometry (FC) and Nageotte hemocytometry represent the most widely accepted methods for counting residual white blood cells (rWBCs) in leucocyte-reduced (LR) blood components. Our aim was to study the agreement between the two methods, under real working blood bank conditions. Materials and methods 94 freshly produced LR red blood cell (RBC) units were tested for rWBC concentrations by FC and Nageotte. To assess the precision of each method, we calculated the intra-assay coefficients of variation (CV), and followed the Bland-Altman methodology to study the agreement between the two methods. Results CV was 18.5% and 26.2% for the Nageotte and the FC, respectively. However, the agreement between the duplicate observations, using the binary cut-off threshold of 1 × 106 WBCs per unit to define the results as “pass/fail”, was 71.9% for the Nageotte and 93.3% for the FC. Linear regression analysis did not show any correlation (R-squared = 0.01, p = 0.35) between the two methods, while the Bland-Altman analysis for the measuring agreement showed a bias toward a higher Nageotte count of 0.77 × 106 leucocytes per unit (p

This article presents analyzed data on new diagnoses and mortality of breast cancer, between 2005 and 2013, in the Republic of Cyprus. New diagnoses are presented by demographic and clinical/histological variables that include cancer grade, behaviour, stage, and histological type at diagnosis (always as a primary site). Breast cancer-related deaths are presented by gender. Net survival rates based on cohort and period methods are presented by age group, cancer grade, behaviour, and stage at diagnosis, for all cases and for cases of Greek-Cypriot ethnicity. The unprocessed data of the Cyprus Cancer Registry were provided by the Health Monitoring Unit of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cyprus. 19 353 369

Heatwaves-excessively hot ambient conditions that are considered a serious threat to human health-are often associated with poor air quality. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of an early heatwave episode in an industrialized plain in the eastern Mediterranean region (Thriasio, Greece) on human thermal discomfort and urban air quality. The heatwave occurred in mid (15-20) May 2020, shortly after some of the restrictions that were improsed to halt the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Greece were lifted (on 4 May). The discomfort index (DI) and the daily air quality index (DAQI) were calculated on an hourly basis throughout spring 2020 (March, April, May) using data from two stations that measure meteorological parameters and air pollutant concentrations in the Thriasio Plain. The analysis showed that the air temperature increased during 7-17 May to levels that were more than 10 degrees C above the monthly average value (25.8 degrees C). The maximum measured air temperature was 38 degrees C (on 17 May). The results showed a high level of thermal discomfort. The DI exceeded the threshold of 24 degrees C for several hours during 13-20 May. Increased air pollution levels were also identified. The average DAQI was estimated as 0.83 +/- 0.1 and 1.14 +/- 0.2 at two monitoring stations in the region of interest during the heatwave. Particulate matter (diameter < 10 mu m) appeared to contribute significantly to the poor air quality. Significant correlations between the air temperature, DI, and AQSI were also identified.

BACKGROUND: The haemostatic activity of platelet concentrates (PCs) treated with pathogen reduction technology (PRT) remains a subject of debate. Our aim was to investigate the effect of Mirasol PRT on the haemostatic properties of PCs stored in plasma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Untreated and Mirasol-treated platelets stored in plasma and derived from ten split double-dose apheresis PCs were evaluated in vitro on days 1, 3 and 5 post collection for functionality, microparticle procoagulation activity (MPA), endogenous thrombin potential (ETP), and haemostatic profile using rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM). RESULTS: P-selectin expression was significantly higher in Mirasol-treated platelets compared with untreated counterparts on days 3 and 5 (p=0.003 and p=0.002, respectively). Clot strength, as shown by EXTEM maximum clot firmness (MCF), was significantly lower in the Mirasol-treated platelets at all time points (days 1, 3, 5) than in untreated platelets (p=0.009, p

Aims The comparative efficacy, safety and tolerability of budesonide-MMX and oral mesalamine in active, mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC) are unclear. We conducted a network meta-analysis to fill this evidence gap. Methods We searched PubMed, Scopus, Embase, the Cochrane Library, clinical trial registries, regulatory agencies' websites and international conference proceedings, up to July 2018, to identify randomized controlled trials of adult patients with active, mild-to-moderate UC, comparing budesonide-MMX or mesalamine against placebo, or against each other, or different dosing strategies, for induction of remission. Two reviewers independently abstracted study data and outcomes, and assessed each trial's risk-of-bias. Results We identified and synthesized evidence from 15 eligible trials including 4083 participants. Budesonide-MMX 9 mg/day and mesalamine >2.4 g/day had similar efficacy for induction of clinical and endoscopic remission (OR = 0.97 0.59–1.60), both showing superiority over placebo (OR = 2.68 1.75–4.10, and OR = 2.75 1.94–3.90, respectively). Furthermore, mesalamine >2.4 g/day was more efficacious than mesalamine 1.6–2.4 g/day (odds ratio = 1.27 1.03–1.56). Secondary analyses showed that mesalamine >2.4 g/day ranks at the top among comparator treatments regarding safety (serious adverse events surface under the cumulative ranking area [SUCRA] 79.2%) and tolerability (treatment discontinuations or withdrawals from the study due to adverse events SUCRA 96.7%). There was no evidence of inconsistency, while heterogeneity between studies and risk of publication bias were low. Conclusion Budesonide-MMX and mesalamine >2.4 g/day had similar efficacy for induction of clinical and endoscopic remission in active, mild-to-moderate UC however, mesalamine >2.4 g/day showed better tolerability. Further high-quality research is warranted. 85 10 2244 2254