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Background: Few studies have investigated depression-anxiety in adolescents/young adults in Greece. We examined the prevalence of depression/anxiety and its correlates in a large, representative, population-based sample of young Greeks. Methods: A structured telephone questionnaire was conducted in 2771 adolescents/young adults aged between 15 and 24 years (mean age: 20.47 ± 2.83 years). Depression/anxiety symptoms were assessed using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales, respectively. Sociodemographics, mental health, and psychological parameters were also examined. Moderate to severe depression and anxiety symptoms were defined with PHQ-9≥10 and GAD-7≥10, respectively. Analysis was conducted using multivariable linear and logistic regression models. Results: In our sample, 803 (29%) and 416 (15%) participants reported depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. In multivariable analysis, depression was associated with female sex, younger age, mental health history, substance use, dyslexia, lower quality of life and social seclusion (all p < 0.05). Within youth with mental health history, depression was associated with younger age, female sex, dyslexia, attention difficulties, and substance use (p < 0.05). Multivariable analysis revealed similar to depression associations between anxiety and sociodemographic and clinical correlates. Mental health history plus attention/learning problems and substance use was associated with a 57% chance of being depressed. Neither depression nor anxiety was associated with unemployment/low income. Limitations: Due to cross-sectional design, causality between correlated factors cannot be examined. Conclusions: Depression and anxiety symptoms among youth in Greece are frequent and associated more with previous mental health history and co-existing attention/ learning difficulties, and substance use, rather than known socioeconomic factors. These results may affect preventive health strategies’ priorities. © 2022

Global warming affects the aquatic ecosystems, accelerating pathogenic microorganisms' and toxic microalgae's growth and spread in marine habitats, and in bivalve molluscs. New parasite invasions are directly linked to oceanic warming. Consumption of pathogen-infected molluscs impacts human health at different rates, depending, inter alia, on the bacteria taxa. It is therefore necessary to monitor microbiological and chemical contamination of food. Many global cases of poisoning from bivalve consumption can be traced back to Mediterranean regions. This article aims to examine the marine bivalve's infestation rate within the scope of climate change, as well as to evaluate the risk posed by climate change to bivalve welfare and public health. Biological and climatic data literature review was performed from international scientific sources, Greek authorities and State organizations. Focusing on Greek aquaculture and bivalve fisheries, high-risk index pathogenic parasites and microalgae were observed during summer months, particularly in Thermaikos Gulf. Considering the climate models that predict further temperature increases, it seems that marine organisms will be subjected in the long term to higher temperatures. Due to the positive linkage between temperature and microbial load, the marine areas most affected by this phenomenon are characterized as ‘high risk’ for consumer health. © 2021 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The paper deals with the state of play concerning Greek Youth's unemployment and social vulnerability, including comparative insights related to the European context. It analyses some of the key findings of the recent EEA-funded large-scale project titled “NEETs2” (EEA Grants/ GR07-3757). The paper presents the key quantitative findings related to the impact of the Crisis to Greek NEETs’ (young people Not in Education, Employment or Training) and Young People's (in total) life course and employability, while it provides evidence-based insights on youth's priorities and survival strategies. It focuses on the role of the educational capital and family background to the youth's employment status and life chances, while it highlights the intergenerational transmission of poverty among youth in today's Greece. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd

What is known and objectivePolypharmacy has a significant impact on patients’ health with overall expenditure on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines representing a substantial burden in terms of cost of treatment. The aim of this study, which was conducted within the framework of a European Project funded by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Programme and was entitled OTC-SOCIOMED, was to report on possible determinants of patient behaviour regarding the consumption of medicines, and particularly OTCs, in the context of primary care. MethodsA multicentre, cross-sectional study was designed and implemented in well-defined primary healthcare settings in Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Malta and Turkey. Patients completed a questionnaire constructed on the basis of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), which was administered via face-to-face interviews. Results and discussionThe percentage of patients who had consumed prescribed medicines over a 6-month period was consistently high, ranging from 79% in the Czech Republic and 82% in Turkey to 97% in Malta and 100% in Cyprus. Reported non-prescribed medicine consumption ranged from 33% in Turkey to 92% in the Czech Republic and 97% in Cyprus. TPB behavioural antecedents explained 43% of the variability of patients’ intention to consume medicines in Malta and 24% in Greece, but only 3% in Turkey. Subjective norm was a significant predictor of the intention to consume medicines in all three countries (Greece, Malta and Turkey), whereas attitude towards consumption was a significant predictor of the expectation to consume medicines, if needed. What is new and conclusionThis study shows that parameters such as patients’ beliefs and influence from family and friends could be determining factors in explaining the high rates of medicine consumption. Factors that affect patients’ behavioural intention towards medicine consumption may assist in the formulation of evidence-based policy proposals and inform initiatives and interventions aimed at increasing the appropriate use of medicines.

We provide a new, analytic kernel for scale space filtering of dMRI data. The kernel is an approximation for the Green’s function of a hypo-elliptic diffusion on the 3D rigid body motion group SE(3), for fiber enhancement in dMRI. The enhancements are described by linear scale space PDEs in the coupled space of positions and orientations embedded in SE(3). As initial condition for the evolution we use either a Fiber Orientation Distribution (FOD) or an Orientation Density Function (ODF). Explicit formulas for the exact kernel do not exist. Although approximations well-suited for fast implementation have been proposed in literature, they lack important symmetries of the exact kernel. We introduce techniques to include these symmetries in approximations based on the logarithm on SE(3), resulting in an improved kernel. Regarding neuroimaging applications, we apply our enhancement kernel (a) to improve dMRI tractography results and (b) to quantify coherence of obtained streamline bundles. Keywords: Scale space on SE(3); Contextual enhancement; Left-invariant diffusion; Group convolution; Tractography

We present a new flexible wavefront propagation algorithm for the boundary value problem for sub-Riemannian (SR) geodesics in the roto-translation group SE(2)=R2¿S1 with a metric tensor depending on a smooth external cost C:SE(2)¿[d,1] , d>0 , computed from image data. The method consists of a first step where geodesically equidistant surfaces are computed as a viscosity solution of a Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) system derived via Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle (PMP). Subsequent backward integration, again relying on PMP, gives the SR-geodesics. We show that our method produces geodesically equidistant surfaces. For C=1 we show that our method produces the global minimizers, and comparison with exact solutions shows a remarkable accuracy of the SR-spheres/geodesics. Finally, trackings in synthetic and retinal images show the potential of including the SR-geometry. Keywords: Roto-translation group; Hamilton-Jacobi equations; Vessel tracking; Sub-riemannian geometry; Morphological scale spaces

Since air pollution levels are strongly dependent on atmospheric conditions, it is important to take both into consideration when examining the effects of weather on human health. In this study, the discomfort conditions were estimated by using several air-quality stress indices based on air-pollutant concentrations in the center of Thessaloniki. Also, the temporal fluctuations in heat waves were analysed by using several thermal stress indices, like the number of hot days during the summer period, for the years 1970-2005, with maximum temperatures greater than a threshold temperature. It was found that air quality conditions in the urban area of Thessaloniki can be characterised as acute for the last years, with respect mainly to photochemical pollutants and suspended particulates (PM(10) and PM(2.5)). The consequence is that discomfort to humans in the center of Thessaloniki due to environmental conditions is caused by temporary thermal stress during the heat waves and permanent air quality stress. Journal of Environmental Protection and Ecology