Search

Your search keyword '"Vlachou, A"' showing total 5,247 results
Start Over Author "Vlachou, A"
5,247 results on '"Vlachou, A"'

1. An Interpretable Deep Learning Approach for Morphological Script Type Analysis

Author

Vlachou-Efstathiou, Malamatenia, Siglidis, Ioannis, Stutzmann, Dominique, and Aubry, Mathieu

Subjects
Computer Science - Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Abstract

Defining script types and establishing classification criteria for medieval handwriting is a central aspect of palaeographical analysis. However, existing typologies often encounter methodological challenges, such as descriptive limitations and subjective criteria. We propose an interpretable deep learning-based approach to morphological script type analysis, which enables systematic and objective analysis and contributes to bridging the gap between qualitative observations and quantitative measurements. More precisely, we adapt a deep instance segmentation method to learn comparable character prototypes, representative of letter morphology, and provide qualitative and quantitative tools for their comparison and analysis. We demonstrate our approach by applying it to the Textualis Formata script type and its two subtypes formalized by A. Derolez: Northern and Southern Textualis, Comment: Accepted at ICDAR 2024 Workshop on Computational Paleography (IWCP, 31 August - Athens, Greece)

Published
2024

2. Leak Proof CMap; a framework for training and evaluation of cell line agnostic L1000 similarity methods

Author

Shave, Steven, Kasprowicz, Richard, Athar, Abdullah M., Vlachou, Denise, Carragher, Neil O., and Nguyen, Cuong Q.

Subjects
Quantitative Biology - Quantitative Methods, Computer Science - Machine Learning
Abstract

The Connectivity Map (CMap) is a large publicly available database of cellular transcriptomic responses to chemical and genetic perturbations built using a standardized acquisition protocol known as the L1000 technique. Databases such as CMap provide an exciting opportunity to enrich drug discovery efforts, providing a 'known' phenotypic landscape to explore and enabling the development of state of the art techniques for enhanced information extraction and better informed decisions. Whilst multiple methods for measuring phenotypic similarity and interrogating profiles have been developed, the field is severely lacking standardized benchmarks using appropriate data splitting for training and unbiased evaluation of machine learning methods. To address this, we have developed 'Leak Proof CMap' and exemplified its application to a set of common transcriptomic and generic phenotypic similarity methods along with an exemplar triplet loss-based method. Benchmarking in three critical performance areas (compactness, distinctness, and uniqueness) is conducted using carefully crafted data splits ensuring no similar cell lines or treatments with shared or closely matching responses or mechanisms of action are present in training, validation, or test sets. This enables testing of models with unseen samples akin to exploring treatments with novel modes of action in novel patient derived cell lines. With a carefully crafted benchmark and data splitting regime in place, the tooling now exists to create performant phenotypic similarity methods for use in personalized medicine (novel cell lines) and to better augment high throughput phenotypic screening technologies with the L1000 transcriptomic technology.

Published
2024

4. Protocols for Quantum Weak Coin Flipping

Author

Arora, Atul Singh, Roland, Jérémie, Vlachou, Chrysoula, and Weis, Stephan

Subjects
Quantum Physics, Computer Science - Cryptography and Security
Abstract

Weak coin flipping is an important cryptographic primitive -- it is the strongest known secure two-party computation primitive that classically becomes secure only under certain assumptions (e.g. computational hardness), while quantumly there exist protocols that achieve arbitrarily close to perfect security. This breakthrough result was established by Mochon in 2007 [arXiv:0711.4114]. However, his proof relied on the existence of certain unitary operators which was established by a non-constructive argument. Consequently, explicit protocols have remained elusive. In this work, we give exact constructions of related unitary operators. These, together with a new formalism, yield a family of protocols approaching perfect security thereby also simplifying Mochon's proof of existence. We illustrate the construction of explicit weak coin flipping protocols by considering concrete examples (from the aforementioned family of protocols) that are more secure than all previously known protocols., Comment: 51 pages (+ 9 appendix), 12 figures. This is a self-contained, concise version of our main results in arXiv:1811.02984 (STOC '19) and arXiv:1911.13283v2 (SODA '21). The Cryptology ePrint 2022/1101 is the comprehensive version, subsuming the above

Published
2024

5. What Else Would I Like? A User Simulator using Alternatives for Improved Evaluation of Fashion Conversational Recommendation Systems

Author

Vlachou, Maria and Macdonald, Craig

Subjects
Computer Science - Information Retrieval
Abstract

In Conversational Recommendation Systems (CRS), a user can provide feedback on recommended items at each interaction turn, leading the CRS towards more desirable recommendations. Currently, different types of CRS offer various possibilities for feedback, i.e., natural language feedback, or answering clarifying questions. In most cases, a user simulator is employed for training as well as evaluating the CRS. Such user simulators typically critique the current retrieved items based on knowledge of a single target item. Still, evaluating systems in offline settings with simulators suffers from problems, such as focusing entirely on a single target item (not addressing the exploratory nature of a recommender system), and exhibiting extreme patience (consistent feedback over a large number of turns). To overcome these limitations, we obtain extra judgements for a selection of alternative items in common CRS datasets, namely Shoes and Fashion IQ Dresses. Going further, we propose improved user simulators that allow simulated users not only to express their preferences about alternative items to their original target, but also to change their mind and level of patience. In our experiments using the relative image captioning CRS setting and different CRS models, we find that using the knowledge of alternatives by the simulator can have a considerable impact on the evaluation of existing CRS models, specifically that the existing single-target evaluation underestimates their effectiveness, and when simulated users are allowed to instead consider alternatives, the system can rapidly respond to more quickly satisfy the user.

Published
2024

6. Parents' and Teachers' Perceptions of Parental Involvement and Practices in the Education of Students with Learning Disabilities in Greece

Author

Dimitra Eleftheriadou and Anastasia Vlachou

Abstract

Parental involvement, as well as parent and teacher relations, have been considered as a significant factor that affects children's schooling. Still, in order to foster inclusion, parent-teacher relations need further investigation. This study explores parent and teacher perceptions of parental involvement in the education of students with Learning Disabilities (LD) based on Epstein's (1995) parental involvement typology. Epstein's questionnaires for parents and teachers were administered to 151 mothers, 77 fathers, 232 general, and 126 special education teachers in Greece in order to investigate their perceptions of parental involvement types and practices concerning the education of children with LD. The differences among parent- and teacher-related sociodemographic characteristics were also examined. The findings reveal that the parents associate their involvement in the education of their children with LD more with Type 1-Parenting, whereas the teachers with Type 5-Decision making. Parents use more Type 4-Learning at home practices, whereas teachers employ Type 2-Communicating practices. Notwithstanding, there are a series of statistically important findings concerning parent and teacher perceptions of parental involvement and practices in the education of children with LD by sociodemographic characteristics. Results are discussed in relation to their implications in promoting more inclusive and sustainable home--school partnerships.

Published
2023

7. On Coherence-based Predictors for Dense Query Performance Prediction

Author

Vlachou, Maria and Macdonald, Craig

Subjects
Computer Science - Information Retrieval
Abstract

Query Performance Prediction (QPP) estimates the effectiveness of a search engine's results in response to a query without relevance judgments. Traditionally, post-retrieval predictors have focused upon either the distribution of the retrieval scores, or the coherence of the top-ranked documents using traditional bag-of-words index representations. More recently, BERT-based models using dense embedded document representations have been used to create new predictors, but mostly applied to predict the performance of rankings created by BM25. Instead, we aim to predict the effectiveness of rankings created by single-representation dense retrieval models (ANCE & TCT-ColBERT). Therefore, we propose a number of variants of existing unsupervised coherence-based predictors that employ neural embedding representations. In our experiments on the TREC Deep Learning Track datasets, we demonstrate improved accuracy upon dense retrieval (up to 92% compared to sparse variants for TCT-ColBERT and 188% for ANCE). Going deeper, we select the most representative and best performing predictors to study the importance of differences among predictors and query types on query performance. Using existing distribution-based evaluation QPP measures and a particular type of linear mixed models, we find that query types further significantly influence query performance (and are up to 35% responsible for the unstable performance of QPP predictors), and that this sensitivity is unique to dense retrieval models. Our approach introduces a new setting for obtaining richer information on query differences in dense QPP that can explain potential unstable performance of existing predictors and outlines the unique characteristics of different query types on dense retrieval models.

Published
2023

8. Effects of hippotherapy on motor function of children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review study

Author

Panagiotis Plotas, Angelos Papadopoulos, Evangelia-Maria Apostolelli, Eleni Vlachou, Foteini Gazou, Ioanna Zogopoulou, Ioanna Katsaidoni, Ioanna Panagiotopoulou, Sofia Paraskevi Paparouna, Nikolina Silavou, Katerina Fragkiadaki, Eirini Tsiamaki, Sotirios Fouzas, Xenophon Sinopidis, and Nikolaos Trimmis

Subjects
Hippotherapy, Systematic review, Alternative physical therapy, Horse-riding simulator, Motor skills, Cerebral palsy, Pediatrics, RJ1-570
Abstract

Abstract Cerebral palsy includes a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders caused by brain damage, leading to impairment of movement, posture, and balance for a lifetime. There are many therapeutic interventions for cerebral palsy. One of them is hippotherapy, an alternative physical therapy. It is a type of equine-assisted activity and therapy where children with cerebral palsy and motor function skills interact with a horse. We aimed to study the effects of hippotherapy, as an alternative therapy, on the motor function of children with cerebral palsy. We performed a review of the latest literature on hippotherapy and cerebral palsy. The criteria we used were specific keywords, publication date, age of the subjects/studied population, and article type. The outcome of our research resulted in ten relevant studies. The findings demonstrate improvements in various aspects of motor function – more specifically in gross motor function skills, balance, coordination, gait parameters, and muscle strength. Two of ten studies used the Horse-Riding Simulator with significant improvements in postural control in sitting, motor function, and hip abduction range of motion. Hippotherapy can improve motor function skills of children between 2 and 14 years of age with cerebral palsy, affecting their well-being and overall quality of life. It can have a positive effect either as a standalone treatment or as a part of other traditional therapies. Extended research is needed to assess whether hippotherapy may present significant long-term changes in motor skills in children with cerebral palsy.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

9. A Gaussia luciferase reporter assay for the evaluation of coronavirus Nsp5/3CLpro activity

Author

Asimenia Vlachou, Rayhane Nchioua, Kerstin Regensburger, Frank Kirchhoff, and Dorota Kmiec

Subjects
SARS-CoV-2, Coronaviruses, Gaussia reporter assay, Nsp5, 3CLpro, Protease inhibitor, Medicine, Science
Abstract

Abstract Human coronaviruses (hCoVs) infect millions of people every year. Among these, MERS, SARS-CoV-1, and SARS-CoV-2 caused significant morbidity and mortality and their emergence highlights the risk of possible future coronavirus outbreaks. Therefore, broadly-active anti-coronavirus drugs are needed. Pharmacological inhibition of the hCoV protease Nsp5 (3CLpro) is clinically beneficial as shown by the wide and effective use of Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir, ritonavir). However, further treatment options are required due to the risk of drug resistance. To facilitate the assessment of coronavirus protease function and its pharmacological inhibition, we developed an assay allowing rapid and reliable quantification of Nsp5 activity under biosafety level 1 conditions. It is based on an ACE2-Gal4 transcription factor fusion protein separated by a Nsp5 recognition site. Cleavage by Nsp5 releases the Gal4 transcription factor, which then induces the expression of Gaussia luciferase. Our assay is compatible with Nsp5 proteases from all hCoVs and allows simultaneous measurement of inhibitory and cytotoxic effects of the tested compounds. Proof-of-concept measurements confirmed that nirmatrelvir, GC376 and lopinavir inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Nsp5 function. Furthermore, the assay accurately predicted the impact of Nsp5 mutations on catalytic activity and inhibitor sensitivity. Overall, the reporter assay is suitable for evaluating viral protease activity.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

14. PD-L1 blockade immunotherapy rewires cancer-induced emergency myelopoiesis

Author

Athina Boumpas, Antonis S. Papaioannou, Pavlos Bousounis, Maria Grigoriou, Veronica Bergo, Iosif Papafragkos, Athanasios Tasis, Michael Iskas, Louis Boon, Manousos Makridakis, Antonia Vlachou, Eleni Gavriilaki, Aikaterini Hatzioannou, Ioannis Mitroulis, Eirini Trompouki, and Panayotis Verginis

Subjects
cancer, immunotherapy, bone marrow, hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell, inflammation, Immunologic diseases. Allergy, RC581-607
Abstract

IntroductionImmune checkpoint blockade (ICB) immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, demonstrating exceptional clinical responses in a wide range of cancers. Despite the success, a significant proportion of patients still fail to respond, highlighting the existence of unappreciated mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance. Delineating such mechanisms is paramount to minimize immunotherapy failures and optimize the clinical benefit.MethodsIn this study, we treated tumour-bearing mice with PD-L1 blockage antibody (aPD-L1) immunotherapy, to investigate its effects on cancer-induced emergency myelopoiesis, focusing on bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). We examined the impact of aPD-L1 treatment on HSPC quiescence, proliferation, transcriptomic profile, and functionality.ResultsHerein, we reveal that aPD-L1 in tumour-bearing mice targets the HSPCs in the BM, mediating their exit from quiescence and promoting their proliferation. Notably, disruption of the PDL1/PD1 axis induces transcriptomic reprogramming in HSPCs, observed in both individuals with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and tumour-bearing mice, shifting towards an inflammatory state. Furthermore, HSPCs from aPDL1-treated mice demonstrated resistance to cancer-induced emergency myelopoiesis, evidenced by a lower generation of MDSCs compared to control-treated mice.DiscussionOur findings shed light on unrecognized mechanisms of action of ICB immunotherapy in cancer, which involves targeting of BM-driven HSPCs and reprogramming of cancer-induced emergency myelopoiesis.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

16. CATMuS Medieval: A Multilingual Large-Scale Cross-Century Dataset in Latin Script for Handwritten Text Recognition and Beyond.

Author

Thibault Clérice, Ariane Pinche, Malamatenia Vlachou-Efstathiou, Alix Chagué, Jean-Baptiste Camps, Matthias Gille Levenson, Olivier Brisville-Fertin, Federico Boschetti, Franz Fischer, Michael Gervers, Agnès Boutreux, Avery Manton, Simon Gabay, Patricia O'Connor, Wouter Haverals, Mike Kestemont, Caroline Vandyck, and Benjamin Kiessling

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

22. Museum Education: Integration of Cultural Heritage and Educational Metadata Schemas

Author

Vlachou, Eleni, Karydis, Ioannis, Rannenberg, Kai, Editor-in-Chief, Soares Barbosa, Luís, Editorial Board Member, Carette, Jacques, Editorial Board Member, Tatnall, Arthur, Editorial Board Member, Neuhold, Erich J., Editorial Board Member, Stiller, Burkhard, Editorial Board Member, Stettner, Lukasz, Editorial Board Member, Pries-Heje, Jan, Editorial Board Member, Kreps, David, Editorial Board Member, Rettberg, Achim, Editorial Board Member, Furnell, Steven, Editorial Board Member, Mercier-Laurent, Eunika, Editorial Board Member, Winckler, Marco, Editorial Board Member, Malaka, Rainer, Editorial Board Member, Maglogiannis, Ilias, editor, Iliadis, Lazaros, editor, Karydis, Ioannis, editor, Papaleonidas, Antonios, editor, and Chochliouros, Ioannis, editor

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

23. 'Visual Type? Not My Type': A Systematic Study on the Learning Styles Neuromyth Employing Frequentist and Bayesian Statistics

Author

Touloumakos, Anna K., Vlachou, Evangelia, and Papadatou-Pastou, Marietta

Abstract

The term learning styles (LS) describes the notion that individuals have a preferred modality of learning (i.e., vision, audition, or kinesthesis) and that matching instruction to this modality results in optimal learning. During the last decades, LS has received extensive criticism, yet they remain a virtual truism within education. One of the major strands of criticism is the fact that only a handful of studies have systematically put the LS assumptions to the test. In this study, we aimed to explore whether learners who are visual types will be better at learning sign-words (i.e., ecologically valid stimuli) compared to auditory and kinesthetic types. Ninety-nine volunteers (67 females, mean age = 28.66 years) naive to Greek Sign Language (GSL) were instructed to learn 20 GSL sign-words. The volunteers further completed two LS questionnaires (i.e., the Barsch Learning Styles Inventory and the Learning Channels Inventory) and they also reported what their LS they believed was. No evidence of a difference in learning sign-words among individuals with different LS (as identified by either of the LS questionnaires or by direct self-report) was found, neither using a frequentist nor using a Bayesian approach to data analysis. Moreover, inconsistencies between the way participants were classified based on the different measures and direct self-report were detected. These findings add further support to the criticism of the LS theory and its use in educational settings. We suggest that research and practice resources should be allocated to evidence-based approaches.

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

24. Evaluating the Impact of XR on User Experience in the Tomato Industrial Museum 'D. Nomikos'

Author

Stella Sylaiou, Panagiotis Dafiotis, Christos Fidas, Elia Vlachou, and Vani Nomikou

Subjects
digital heritage, extended reality, industrial museum, user experience questionnaire, Archaeology, CC1-960
Abstract

This study presents the background and the evaluation of integrating eXtended Reality (XR) in the permanent exhibition at the Tomato Industrial Museum “D. Nomikos”. This paper firstly provides the context of this study by outlining the methodological, technological, and museological approaches undertaken to integrate XR in a quest to enhance visitors’ meaningful engagement with the industrial heritage-related exhibition. Storytelling and narration are key elements of the museum’s museological design through audio tours and interactive AR-based visualization n of the machinery’s role and function. This paper presents and discusses the design of the evaluation methodology employed in the context of pertinent methods and approaches used in related research. This study investigates the effectiveness of XR for audience engagement and the added value that such technologies offer to the user experience as well as possible improvements. The main method adopted for gathering quantitative data is the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ), and for qualitative data, through semi-structured interviews. Moreover, the findings are analyzed, interpreted, and discussed. Based on a case study, this paper offers a broader discussion of the challenges and prospects connected to the quest of employing emerging technologies and assessing their impact on visitors’ museum experience, reaching conclusions for future directions in the field.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

25. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Author

Lipp, Markus, primary, Bessy, Catherine, additional, Cannavan, Andrew, additional, Dupouy, Eleonora, additional, Fattori, Vittorio, additional, Kopko, Christine, additional, Lejeune, Jeffrey, additional, Mukherjee, Keya, additional, Ferreira, Jorge Pinto, additional, Schulz, Dirk, additional, Vlachou, Angeliki, additional, and Zhou, Kang, additional

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

27. Soil pH, developmental stages and geographical origin differently influence the root metabolomic diversity and root-related microbial diversity of Echium vulgare from native habitats

Author

Cintia Csorba, Nebojša Rodić, Livio Antonielli, Angela Sessitsch, Angeliki Vlachou, Muhammad Ahmad, Stéphane Compant, Markus Puschenreiter, Eva M. Molin, Andreana N. Assimopoulou, and Günter Brader

Subjects
metabolome, microbiome, soil, plant, Boraginaceae, Echium, Plant culture, SB1-1110
Abstract

Improved understanding of the complex interaction between plant metabolism, environmental conditions and the plant-associated microbiome requires an interdisciplinary approach: Our hypothesis in our multiomics study posited that several environmental and biotic factors have modulating effects on the microbiome and metabolome of the roots of wild Echium vulgare plants. Furthermore, we postulated reciprocal interactions between the root metabolome and microbiome. We investigated the metabolic content, the genetic variability, and the prokaryotic microbiome in the root systems of wild E. vulgare plants at rosette and flowering stages across six distinct locations. We incorporated the assessment of soil microbiomes and the measurement of selected soil chemical composition factors. Two distinct genetic clusters were determined based on microsatellite analysis without a consistent alignment with the geographical proximity between the locations. The microbial diversity of both the roots of E. vulgare and the surrounding bulk soil exhibited significant divergence across locations, varying soil pH characteristics, and within the identified plant genetic clusters. Notably, acidophilic bacteria were characteristic inhabitants of both soil and roots under acidic soil conditions, emphasizing the close interconnectedness between these compartments. The metabolome of E. vulgare significantly differed between root samples from different developmental stages, geographical locations, and soil pH levels. The developmental stage was the dominant driver of metabolome changes, with significantly higher concentrations of sugars, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, and some of their precursors in rosette stage plant roots. Our study featured the complex dynamics between soil pH, plant development, geographical locations, plant genetics, plant metabolome and microbiome, shedding light on existing knowledge gaps.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

28. Enfortumab vedotin–related cutaneous toxicity correlates with overall survival in patients with urothelial cancer: a retrospective experience

Author

Evangelia Vlachou, Burles Avner Johnson, David McConkey, Yuezhou Jing, Andres Matoso, Noah M. Hahn, and Jean Hoffman-Censits

Subjects
advanced/metastatic urothelial cancer, bladder cancer, cutaneous adverse events, disease response, enfortumab vedotin (EV), overall survival (OS), Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens, RC254-282
Abstract

IntroductionEnfortumab vedotin (EV) is an antibody drug conjugate approved for advanced urothelial cancer, consisting of a monomethyl auristatin E payload linked to a human monoclonal antibody targeting nectin-4. No validated biomarker predictive of or correlated with response exists for EV. Cutaneous toxicity is among the most common EV-related toxicities and typically emerges in early cycles. This retrospective experience of patients with urothelial cancer treated with EV monotherapy evaluated whether EV-related cutaneous toxicity correlated with improved outcomes including progression-free (PFS) and overall (OS) survival and overall response rate (ORR).Patients and methodsPatients treated with EV monotherapy at Johns Hopkins were identified, and baseline characteristics, treatment, and toxicity details were extracted through chart review. Univariable Cox hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated for assessing the effect of baseline patient characteristics and cutaneous toxicity in PFS and OS. Based on the univariable analysis and known risk factors, all subsequent analyses were adjusted for: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, visceral metastases at baseline, gender as well as EV dose, and weight to account for dosing differences. Multivariable Cox proportional HRs were used for comparing PFS and OS between patients with and without cutaneous toxicity, assessing toxicity and EV dose as a time-dependent variables. Adjusted p-values were calculated to compare ORR and disease control rate (DCR) between groups using the Poisson regression model.ResultsOf the 78 patients analyzed, 42 (53.8%) experienced EV-related cutaneous toxicity that appeared early during treatment (median time to occurrence 0.5 months from EV initiation). Cutaneous toxicity correlated with significantly improved OS [HR, 0.48; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.25, 0.9; P = 0.0235], ORR (68.3% vs. 20.7%, P = 0.0033) and DCR (82.9% vs. 48.3%, P = 0.0122). Median PFS was numerically longer in the cutaneous toxicity group (6.3 vs. 1.7 months), although no significance was achieved in the multivariable analysis (HR, 0.62; 95% CI: 0.35, 0.108; P = 0.0925).ConclusionIn this retrospective study, EV-related cutaneous toxicity was associated with improved patient outcomes. Confirming this observation and understanding its mechanism could lead to discovery of a new clinical biomarker of EV response that can emerge in the first cycle.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

29. Smart buildings with legacy equipment: A case study on energy savings and cost reduction through an IoT platform in Ireland and Greece

Author

Aristotelis Ntafalias, Panagiotis Papadopoulos, Alfonso P. Ramallo-González, Antonio F. Skarmeta-Gómez, Juan Sánchez-Valverde, Maria C. Vlachou, Rafael Marín-Pérez, Alfredo Quesada-Sánchez, Fergal Purcell, and Stephen Wright

Subjects
Machine learning, Smart buildings, Legacy equipment, Energy consumption reduction, Internet of things, Technology
Abstract

The increasing need for energy efficiency and sustainability as made reducing energy consumption in buildings a top priority. Information and communication technologies (ICT) have been proven to be an effective tool in achieving this goal. However, many legacy appliances in commercial and residential buildings are energy-intensive and not connected, making their replacement with new, more efficient models a significant upfront cost. In this paper, a solution is presented that integrates legacy equipment such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and other services into a new internet of things (IoT) platform that can integrate machine learning (ML) algorithms to identify the most effective way of achieving a variety of low-energy goals. Through this platform, features such as flexibility services are enabled, allowing energy cost reduction and other beneficial results. The solution has been tested in real demonstration sites in Ireland, and Greece, considering the specific challenges in each country. The Irish demonstration sites showcased the ability to manage a water heater in a residential building and a CHP unit in a commercial one, resulting in energy consumption reductions of up to 39% and 61%, respectively. In the Greek demonstration sites, the implemented solution in the residential building was able to reduce energy consumption by up to 86% during peak hours, and up to 60% overall, offering a 10% reduction in their monthly bill. In the commercial building the services provided an average of 6.9 kWh (or 4.6%) of energy savings per day leading to a 22% reduction in their monthly electricity bill.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

30. Quantum Universally Composable Oblivious Linear Evaluation

Author

Santos, Manuel B., Mateus, Paulo, and Vlachou, Chrysoula

Subjects
Quantum Physics
Abstract

Oblivious linear evaluation is a generalization of oblivious transfer, whereby two distrustful parties obliviously compute a linear function, f (x) = ax + b, i.e., each one provides their inputs that remain unknown to the other, in order to compute the output f (x) that only one of them receives. From both a structural and a security point of view, oblivious linear evaluation is fundamental for arithmetic-based secure multi-party computation protocols. In the classical case, oblivious linear evaluation protocols can be generated using oblivious transfer, and their quantum counterparts can, in principle, be constructed as straightforward extensions using quantum oblivious transfer. Here, we present the first, to the best of our knowledge, quantum protocol for oblivious linear evaluation that, furthermore, does not rely on quantum oblivious transfer. We start by presenting a semi-honest protocol, and then extend it to the dishonest setting employing a commit-and-open strategy. Our protocol uses high-dimensional quantum states to obliviously compute f (x) on Galois Fields of prime and prime-power dimension. These constructions utilize the existence of a complete set of mutually unbiased bases in prime-power dimension Hilbert spaces and their linear behaviour upon the Heisenberg-Weyl operators. We also generalize our protocol to achieve vector oblivious linear evaluation, where several instances of oblivious linear evaluation are generated, thus making the protocol more efficient. We prove the protocols to have static security in the framework of quantum universal composability., Comment: 42 pages (34 + 8 as appendix), version accepted for publication in Quantum

Published
2022
Full Text
View/download PDF

31. Quantifying fermionic interactions from the violation of Wick's theorem

Author

Pachos, Jiannis K. and Vlachou, Chrysoula

Subjects
Quantum Physics
Abstract

In contrast to interacting systems, the ground state of free systems has a highly ordered pattern of quantum correlations, as witnessed by Wick's decomposition. Here, we quantify the effect of interactions by measuring the violation they cause on Wick's decomposition. In particular, we express this violation in terms of the low entanglement spectrum of fermionic systems. Moreover, we establish a relation between the Wick's theorem violation and the interaction distance, the smallest distance between the reduced density matrix of the system and that of the optimal free model closest to the interacting one. Our work provides the means to quantify the effect of interactions in physical systems though measurable quantum correlations., Comment: 7 pages + 2 pages Appendix; minor errors corrected

Published
2022
Full Text
View/download PDF

33. Microaggressions and Psychosocial Adjustment among Greek University Students with Disabilities

Author

Andreou, Eleni, Psyllou, Agoritsa, Vlachou, Anastasia, Fyssa, Aristea, and Saridaki, Maria

Abstract

This study investigated differences in experiences of microaggressions between students with different characteristics (type, visibility, severity, and onset of impairment) and associations between the occurrence of microaggressions and specific psychological dimensions, such as stress, depression, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. It also examined how the afore-mentioned psychological factors and microaggressions contribute to students' adjustment to university. Eighty-nine (89) university students with disabilities (USwDs) completed a series of six questionnaires: the Ableist Microaggression Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the College Adaptation Questionnaire. University students with visual and mobility impairments reported higher levels of ableist microaggressions than those with medical/chronic conditions, while students with visible impairments seemed to experience more ableist microaggressions than their university peers with non-visible impairments. Microaggressive experiences were found to be associated with increased levels of depression and stress as well as having negative consequences for disabled students' self-esteem and life satisfaction. Students' overall adaptation to university was predicted by a high level of life satisfaction, low level of depression, and limited experience of microaggressions related to otherization. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for USwDs' adjustment.

Published
2021

36. Quantum Universally Composable Oblivious Linear Evaluation

Author

Manuel B. Santos, Paulo Mateus, and Chrysoula Vlachou

Subjects
Physics, QC1-999
Abstract

Oblivious linear evaluation is a generalization of oblivious transfer, whereby two distrustful parties obliviously compute a linear function, $f (x) = ax + b$, i.e., each one provides their inputs that remain unknown to the other, in order to compute the output $f (x)$ that only one of them receives. From both a structural and a security point of view, oblivious linear evaluation is fundamental for arithmetic-based secure multi-party computation protocols. In the classical case, oblivious linear evaluation protocols can be generated using oblivious transfer, and their quantum counterparts can, in principle, be constructed as straightforward extensions using quantum oblivious transfer. Here, we present the first, to the best of our knowledge, quantum protocol for oblivious linear evaluation that, furthermore, does not rely on quantum oblivious transfer. We start by presenting a semi-honest protocol, and then extend it to the dishonest setting employing a $commit-and-open$ strategy. Our protocol uses high-dimensional quantum states to obliviously compute $f (x)$ on Galois Fields of prime and prime-power dimension. These constructions utilize the existence of a complete set of mutually unbiased bases in prime-power dimension Hilbert spaces and their linear behaviour upon the Heisenberg-Weyl operators. We also generalize our protocol to achieve vector oblivious linear evaluation, where several instances of oblivious linear evaluation are generated, thus making the protocol more efficient. We prove the protocols to have static security in the framework of quantum universal composability.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

37. Presence of Ochratoxin A Residues in Blood Serum of Slaughtered Pigs in Greece

Author

Mikela Vlachou, Andreana Pexara, Nikolaos Solomakos, Alexander Govaris, Dimitrios Palaiogiannis, Vassilis Athanasiadis, and Stavros I. Lalas

Subjects
ochratoxin A, slaughtered pigs, blood serum, ELISA, HPLC-FD, region, Medicine
Abstract

This study aimed to assess the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) residues in the blood serum of slaughtered pigs in Greece. Samples were obtained from 1695 healthy slaughtered pigs originating from 113 different farms located in 21 geographic regional units in 8 different geographic regions of Greece and were analyzed using an immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector (HPLC-FD). OTA contamination assessment showed that 782 (46.1%) and 1233 (72.7%) samples were OTA-positive, with a concentration range of 0.20–5.38 μg/L and 0.15–5.96 µg/L according to ELISA and HPLC-FD analysis, respectively. Also, 88 (77.9%) and 108 (95.6%) of farms were found to be OTA-positive by ELISA and HPLC-FD analysis, respectively. The highest OTA serum positivity rate (>98%) and toxin level (5.96 µg/L) determined by HPLC-FD were observed in the Thessaly region, whereas a high prevalence of up to 100% (range 75–100%) was found on farms in the Crete Island region. The detection of OTA in the serum of slaughtered pigs in different regions in Greece poses a risk for animal and human health and highlights the need for constant OTA monitoring in the swine industry and pork meat production facilities.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

38. Fabrication of PLA-Based Nanoneedle Patches Loaded with Transcutol-Modified Chitosan Nanoparticles for the Transdermal Delivery of Levofloxacin

Author

Christina Samiotaki, Ioanna Koumentakou, Evi Christodoulou, Nikolaos D. Bikiaris, Marilena Vlachou, Evangelos Karavas, Konstantina Tourlouki, Nikolaos Kehagias, and Panagiotis Barmpalexis

Subjects
poly(lactic acid) blends, nanoneedles, nanoencapsulation, drug release, transdermal delivery, levofloxacin, Organic chemistry, QD241-441
Abstract

Current transdermal drug delivery technologies, like patches and ointments, effectively deliver low molecular weight drugs through the skin. However, delivering larger, hydrophilic drugs and macromolecules remains a challenge. In the present study, we developed novel transdermal nanoneedle patches containing levofloxacin-loaded modified chitosan nanoparticles. Chitosan was chemically modified with transcutol in three ratios (1/1, 1/2, 1/3, w/w), and the optimum ratio was used for nanoparticle fabrication via the ionic gelation method. The successful modification was confirmed using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, while DLS results revealed that only the 1/3 ratio afforded suitably sized particles of 220 nm. After drug encapsulation, the particle size increased to 435 nm, and the final formulations were examined via XRD and an in vitro dissolution test, which suggested that the nanoparticles reach 60% release in a monophasic pattern at 380 h. We then prepared transdermal patches with pyramidal geometry nanoneedles using different poly(lactic acid)/poly(ethylene adipate) (PLA/PEAd) polymer blends of varying ratios, which were characterized in terms of morphology and mechanical compressive strength. The 90/10 blend exhibited the best mechanical properties and was selected for further testing. Ex vivo permeation studies proved that the nanoneedle patches containing drug-loaded nanoparticles achieved the highest levofloxacin permeation (88.1%).

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

39. The Geopolitics of International Higher Education Prior and during COVID-19: A Decolonial Feminist Analysis

Author

Vlachou, Maria and Tlostanova, Madina

Abstract

Thinking with four non-EU academic migrants from the global South, and their experiences of working/studying or starting to work/study during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are unravelling the current geopolitics of the internationalised higher education in the global North. Our central argument is that COVID-19 has not simply affected the national and global politics of migration, including international academic migration, but it has also worked as a magnifying glass of the historically established inequalities sustained and perpetuated by physical, biomedical and epistemic borders. Most importantly, we are not following the rather obvious theoretical route of biopolitics while analysing the internationalisation of higher education in relation to the COVID-19 health crisis and migration politics. Instead, we are looking at this geo-biopolitical and epistemic assemblage through a decolonial lens. In doing so, we want to contribute with our and our interviewees' reflections to the ongoing discussion on what currently counts as 'internationalisation' in higher education, pointing out the colonial and neoliberal foundations of it, and the possibilities of aligning it with the efforts of decolonising the university.

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

42. Early trajectories of virological and immunological biomarkers and clinical outcomes in patients admitted to hospital for COVID-19: an international, prospective cohort study

Author

Sahner, David, Tierney, John, Vogel, Susan E., Herpin, Betsey R., Smolskis, Mary C., McKay, Laura A., Cahill, Kelly, Crew, Page, Sardana, Ratna, Raim, Sharon Segal, Hensely, Lisa, Lorenzo, Johsua, Mock, Rebecca, Zuckerman, Judith, Atri, Negin, Miller, Mark, Vallee, David, Chung, Lucy, Kang, Nayon, Barrett, Kevin, Adam, Stacey J., Read, Sarah, Draghia-Akli, Ruxandra, Currier, Judy, Hughes, Eric, Harrigan, Rachel H., Amos, Laura, Carlsen, Amy, Carter, Anita, Collins, Gary, Davis, Bionca, Denning, Eileen, DuChene, Alain, Eckroth, Kate, Engen, Nicole, Frase, Alex, Gandits, Greg, Grund, Birgit, Harrison, Merrie, Hurlbut, Nancy, Kaiser, Payton, Koopmeiners, Joseph, Larson, Gregg, Meger, Sue, Mistry, Shweta Sharma, Murray, Thomas, Nelson, Ray, Quan, Kien, Quan, Siu Fun, Reilly, Cavan, Siegel, Lianne, Thompson, Greg, Vock, David, Walski, Jamie, Gelijns, Annetine C., Moskowitz, Alan J., Bagiella, Emilia, Moquete, Ellen, O'Sullivan, Karen, Marks, Mary E., Accardi, Evan, Kinzel, Emily, Burris, Sarah, Bedoya, Gabriela, Gupta, Lola, Overbey, Jessica R., Santos, Milerva, Gillinov, Marc A., Miller, Marissa A., Taddei-Peters, Wendy C., Fenton, Kathleen, Sandkovsky, Uriel, Gottlieb, Robert L., Mack, Michael, Berhe, Mezgebe, Haley, Clinton, Dishner, Emma, Bettacchi, Christopher, Golden, Kevin, Duhaime, Erin, Ryan, Madison, Tallmadge, Catherine, Estrada, Lorie, Jones, Felecia, Villa, Samatha, Wang, Samatha, Robert, Raven, Coleman, Tanquinisha, Clariday, Laura, Baker, Rebecca, Hurutado-Rodriguez, Mariana, Iram, Nazia, Fresnedo, Michelle, Davis, Allyson, Leonard, Kiara, Ramierez, Noelia, Thammavong, Jon, Duque, Krizia, Turner, Emma, Fisher, Tammy, Robinson, Dianna, Ransom, Desirae, Maldonado, Nicholas, Lusk, Erica, Killian, Aaron, Palacious, Adriana, Solis, Edilia, Jerrow, Janet, Watts, Matthew, Whitacre, Heather, Cothran, Elizabeth, Smith, Peter K., Barkauskas, Christina E., Vekstein, Andrew M., Ko, Emily R., Dreyer, Grace R., Stafford, Neil, Brooks, Megan, Der, Tatyana, Witte, Marie, Gamarallage, Ruwan, Franzone, John, Ivey, Noel, Lumsden, Rebecca H., Mosaly, Nilima, Mourad, Ahmaad, Holland, Thomas L., Motta, Mary, Lane, Kathleen, McGowan, Lauren M., Stout, Jennifer, Aloor, Heather, Bragg, Kennesha M., Toledo, Barvina, McLendon-Arvik, Beth, Bussadori, Barbara, Hollister, Beth A., Griffin, Michelle, Giangiacomo, Dana M., Rodriguez, Vicente, Bokhart, Gordon, Eichman, Sharon M., Parrino, Patrick E., Spindel, Stephen, Bansal, Aditya, Baumgarten, Katherine, Hand, Johnathan, Vonderhaar, Derek, Nossaman, Bobby, Sylvia Laudun, Ames, DeAnna, Broussard, Shane, Hernandez, Nilmo, Isaac, Geralyn, Dinh, Huan, Zheng, Yiling, Tran, Sonny, McDaniel, Hunter, Crovetto, Nicolle, Perin, Emerson, Costello, Briana, Manian, Prasad, Sohail, M. Rizwan, Postalian, Alexander, Hinsu, Punit, Watson, Carolyn, Chen, James, Fink, Melyssa, Sturgis, Lydia, Walker, Kim, Mahon, Kim, Parenti, Jennifer, Kappenman, Casey, Knight, Aryn, Sturek, Jeffrey M., Barros, Andrew, Enfield, Kyle B., Kadl, Alexandra, Green, China J., Simon, Rachel M., Fox, Ashley, Thornton, Kara, Adams, Amy, Badhwar, Vinay, Sharma, Sunil, Peppers, Briana, McCarthy, Paul, Krupica, Troy, Sarwari, Arif, Reece, Rebecca, Fornaresico, Lisa, Glaze, Chad, Evans, Raquel, Di, Fang, Carlson, Shawn, Aucremanne, Tanja, Tennant, Connie, Sutton, Lisa Giblin, Buterbaugh, Sabrina, Williams, Roger, Bunner, Robin, Traverse, Jay H., Rhame, Frank, Huelster, Joshua, Kethireddy, Rajesh, Davies, Irena, Salamanca, Julianne, Majeski, Christine, Skelton, Paige, Zarambo, Maria, Sarafolean, Andrea, Bowdish, Michael E., Borok, Zea, Wald-Dickler, Noah, Hutcheon, Douglass, Towfighi, Amytis, Lee, Mary, Lewis, Meghan R., Spellberg, Brad, Sher, Linda, Sharma, Aniket, Olds, Anna P., Justino, Chris, Loxano, Edward, Romero, Chris, Leong, Janet, Rodina, Valentina, Quesada, Christine, Hamilton, Luke, Escobar, Jose, Leshnower, Brad, Bender, William, Sharifpour, Milad, Miller, Jeffrey, Farrington, Woodrow, Baio, Kim T., McBride, Mary, Fielding, Michele, Mathewson, Sonya, Porte, Kristina, Maton, Missy, Ponder, Chari, Haley, Elisabeth, Spainhour, Christine, Rogers, Susan, Tyler, Derrick, Madathil, Ronson J., Rabin, Joseph, Levine, Andrea, Saharia, Kapil, Tabatabai, Ali, Lau, Christine, Gammie, James S., Peguero, Maya-Loren, McKernan, Kimberly, Audette, Mathew, Fleischmann, Emily, Akbari, Kreshta, Lee, Myounghee, Chi, Andrew, Salehi, Hanna, Pariser, Alan, Nyguyen, Phuong Tran, Moore, Jessica, Gee, Adrienne, Vincent, Shelika, Zuckerman, Richard A., Iribarne, Alexander, Metzler, Sara, Shipman, Samantha, Johnson, Haley, Newton, Crystallee, Parr, Doug, Miller, Leslie, Schelle, Beth, McLean, Sherry, Rothbaum, Howard R., Alvarez, Michael S., Kalan, Shivam P., Germann, Heather H., Hendershot, Jennifer, Moroney, Karen, Herring, Karen, Cook, Sharri, Paul, Pam, Walker-Ignasiak, Rebecca, North, Crystal, Oldmixon, Cathryn, Ringwood, Nancy, Muzikansky, Ariela, Morse, Richard, Fitzgerald, Laura, Morin, Haley D., Brower, Roy G., Reineck, Lora A., Bienstock, Karen, Steingrub, Jay H., Hou, Peter K., Steingrub, Jay S., Tidswell, Mark A., Kozikowski, Lori-Ann, Kardos, Cynthia, DeSouza, Leslie, Romain, Sarah, Thornton-Thompson, Sherell, Talmor, Daniel, Shapiro, Nathan, Andromidas, Konstantinos, Banner-Goodspeed, Valerie, Bolstad, Michael, Boyle, Katherine L., Cabrera, Payton, deVilla, Arnaldo, Ellis, Joshua C., Grafals, Ana, Hayes, Sharon, Higgins, Conor, Kurt, Lisa, Kurtzman, Nicholas, Redman, Kimberly, Rosseto, Elinita, Scaffidi, Douglas, Filbin, Michael R., Hibbert, Kathryn A., Parry, Blair, Margolin, Justin, Hillis, Brooklynn, Hamer, Rhonda, Brait, Kelsey, Beakes, Caroline, McKaig, Brenna, Kugener, Eleonore, Jones, Alan E., Galbraith, James, Nandi, Utsav, Peacock, Rebekah, Hendey, Gregory, Kangelaris, Kirsten, Ashktorab, Kimia, Gropper, Rachel, Agrawal, Anika, Yee, Kimberley J., Jauregui, Alejandra E., Zhuo, Hanjing, Almasri, Eyad, Fayed, Mohamed, Hubel, Kinsley A., Hughes, Alyssa R., Garcia, Rebekah L., Lim, George W., Chang, Steven Y., Lin, Michael Y., Vargas, Julia, Sihota, Hena, Beutler, Rebecca, Agarwal, Trisha, Wilson, Jennifer G., Vojnik, Rosemary, Perez, Cynthia, McDowell, Jordan H., Roque, Jonasel, Wang, Henry, Huebinger, Ryan M., Patel, Bela, Vidales, Elizabeth, Albertson, Timothy, Hardy, Erin, Harper, Richart, Moss, Marc A., Baduashvili, Amiran, Chauhan, Lakshmi, Douin, David J., Martinez, Flora, Finck, Lani L., Bastman, Jill, Howell, Michelle, Higgins, Carrie, McKeehan, Jeffrey, Finigan, Jay, Stubenrauch, Peter, Janssen, William J., Griesmer, Christine, VerBurg, Olivia, Hyzy, Robert C., Park, Pauline K., Nelson, Kristine, McSparron, Jake I., Co, Ivan N., Wang, Bonnie R., Jimenez, Jose, Olbrich, Norman, McDonough, Kelli, Jia, Shijing, Hanna, Sinan, Gong, Michelle N., Richardson, Lynne D., Nair, Rahul, Lopez, Brenda, Amosu, Omowunmi, Offor, Obiageli, Tzehaie, Hiwet, Nkemdirim, William, Boujid, Sabah, Mosier, Jarrod M., Hypes, Cameron, Campbell, Elizabeth Salvagio, Bixby, Billie, Gilson, Boris, Lopez, Anitza, Bime, Christian, Parthasarathy, Sairam, Cano, Ariana M., Hite, R. Duncan, Terndrup, Thomas E., Wiedemann, Herbert P., Hudock, Kristin, Tanzeem, Hammad, More, Harshada, Martinkovic, Jamie, Sellers, Susan, Houston, Judy, Burns, Mary, Kiran, Simra, Roads, Tammy, Kennedy, Sarah, Duggal, Abhijit, Thiruchelvam, Nirosshan, Ashok, Kiran, King, Alexander H., Mehkri, Omar, Dugar, Siddharth, Sahoo, Debasis, Yealy, Donald M., Angus, Derek C., Weissman, Alexandra J., Vita, Tina M., Berryman, Emily, Hough, Catherine L., Khan, Akram, Krol, Olivia F., Mills, Emmanuel, Kinjal, Mistry, Briceno, Genesis, Reddy, Raju, Hubel, Kinsley, Jouzestani, Milad K., McDougal, Madeline, Deshmukh, Rupali, Johnston, Nicholas J., Robinson, Bryce H., Gundel, Staphanie J., Katsandres, Sarah C., Chen, Peter, Torbati, Sam S., Parimon, Tanyalak, Caudill, Antonina, Mattison, Brittany, Jackman, Susan E., Chen, Po-En, Bayoumi, Emad, Ojukwu, Cristabelle, Fine, Devin, Weissberg, Gwendolyn, Isip, Katherine, Choi-Kuaea, Yunhee, Mehdikhani, Shaunt, Dar, Tahir B., Fleury Augustin, Nsole Biteghe, Tran, Dana, Dukov, Jennifer Emilow, Matusov, Yuri, Choe, June, Hindoyan, Niree A., Wynter, Timothy, Pascual, Ethan, Clapham, Gregg J., Herrera, Lisa, Caudill, Antonia, O’Mahony, D. Shane, Nyatsatsang, Sonam T., Wilson, David M., Wallick, Julie A., Duven, Alexandria M., Fletcher, Dakota D., Miller, Chadwick, Files, D. Clark, Gibbs, Kevin W., Flores, Lori S., LaRose, Mary E., Landreth, Leigha D., Palacios, D. Rafael, Parks, Lisa, Hicks, Madeline, Goodwin, Andrew J., Kilb, Edward F., Lematty, Caitlan T., Patti, Kerilyn, Grady, Abigail, Rasberry, April, Morris, Peter E., Sturgill, Jamie L., Cassity, Evan P., Dhar, Sanjay, Montgomery-Yates, Ashley A., Pasha, Sarah N., Mayer, Kirby P., Pharm.D., Brittany Bissel, Trott, Terren, Rehman, Shahnaz, de Wit, Marjolein, Mason, Jessica, Bledsoe, Joseph, Knowlton, Kirk U., Brown, Samuel, Lanspa, Michael, Leither, Lindsey, Pelton, Ithan, Armbruster, Brent P., Montgomery, Quinn, Kumar, Naresh, Fergus, Melissa, Imel, Karah, Palmer, Ghazal, Webb, Brandon, Klippel, Carolyn, Jensen, Hannah, Duckworth, Sarah, Gray, Andrew, Burke, Tyler, Knox, Dan, Lumpkin, Jenna, Aston, Valerie T., Applegate, Darrin, Serezlic, Erna, Brown, Katie, Merril, Mardee, Harris, Estelle S., Middleton, Elizabeth A., Barrios, Macy A.G., Greer, Jorden, Schmidt, Amber D., Webb, Melissa K., Paine, Roert, Callahan, Sean J., Waddoups, Lindsey J., Yamane, Misty B., Self, Wesley H., Rice, Todd W., Casey, Jonathan D., Johnson, Jakea, Gray, Christopher, Hays, Margaret, Roth, Megan, Menon, Vidya, Kasubhai, Moiz, Pillai, Anjana, Daniel, Jean, Sittler, Daniel, Kanna, Balavenkatesh, Jilani, Nargis, Amaro, Francisco, Santana, Jessica, Lyakovestsky, Aleksandr, Madhoun, Issa, Desroches, Louis Marie, Amadon, Nicole, Bahr, Alaa, Ezzat, Imaan, Guerrero, Maryanne, Padilla, Joane, Fullmer, Jessie, Singh, Inderpreet, Ali Shah, Syed Hamad, Narang, Rajeev, Mock, Polly, Shadle, Melissa, Hernandez, Brenda, Welch, Kevin, Payne, Andrea, Ertl, Gabriela, Canario, Daniel, Barrientos, Isabel, Goss, Danielle, DeVries, Mattie, Folowosele, Ibidolapo, Garner, Dorothy, Gomez, Mariana, Price, Justin, Bansal, Ekta, Wong, Jim, Faulhaber, Jason, Fazili, Tasaduq, Yeary, Brian, Ndolo, Ruth, Bryant, Christina, Smigeil, Bridgette, Robinson, Philip, Najjar, Rana, Jones, Patrice, Nguyen, Julie, Chin, Christina, Taha, Hassan, Najm, Salah, Smith, Christopher, Moore, Jason, Nassar, Talal, Gallinger, Nick, Christian, Amy, Mauer, D’Amber, Phipps, Ashley, Waters, Michael, Zepeda, Karla, Coslet, Jordan, Landazuri, Rosalynn, Pineda, Jacob, Uribe, Nicole, Garcia, Jose Ruiz, Barbabosa, Cecilia, Sandler, Kaitlyn, Overcash, J. Scott, Marquez, Adrienna, Chu, Hanh, Lee, Kia, Quillin, Kimberly, Garcia, Andrea, Lew, Pauline, Rogers, Ralph, Shehadeh, Fadi, Mylona, Evangelia K., Kaczynski, Matthew, Tran, Quynh-Lam, Benitez, Gregorio, Mishra, Biswajit, Felix, Lewis Oscar, Vafea, Maria Tsikala, Atalla, Eleftheria, Davies, Robin, Hedili, Salma, Monkeberg, Maria Andrea, Tabler, Sandra, Harrington, Britt, Meegada, Sreenath, Koripalli, Venkata Sandeep, Muddana, Prithvi, Jain, Lakshay, Undavalli, Chaitanya, Kavya, Parasa, Ibiwoye, Mofoluwaso, Akilo, Hameed, Lovette, Bryce D., Wylie, Jamie-Crystal, Smith, Diana M., Poon, Kenneth, Eckardt, Paula, Heysu, Rubio-Gomez, Sundararaman, Nithya, Alaby, Doris, Sareli, Candice, Sánchez, Adriana, Popielski, Laura, Kambo, Amy, Viens, Kimberley, Turner, Melissa, Vjecha, Michael J., Weintrob, Amy, Brar, Indira, Markowitz, Norman, Pastor, Erika, Corpuz, Roweena, Alangaden, George, McKinnon, John, Ramesh, Mayur, Herc, Erica, Yared, Nicholas, Lanfranco, Odaliz Abreu, Rivers, Emanuel, Swiderek, Jennifer, Gupta, Ariella Hodari, Pabla, Pardeep, Eliya, Sonia, Jazrawi, Jehan, Delor, Jeremy, Desai, Mona, Cook, Aaron, Jaehne, Anja Kathrina, Gill, Jasreen Kaur, Renaud, Sheri, Sarveswaran, Siva, Gardner, Edward, Scott, James, Bianchini, Monica, Melvin, Casey, Kim, Gina, Wyles, David, Kamis, Kevin, Miller, Rachel, Douglas, Ivor, Haukoos, Jason, Hicks, Carrie, Lazarte, Susana, Marines-Price, Rubria, Osuji, Alice, Agbor Agbor, Barbine Tchamba, Petersen, Tianna, Kamel, Dena, Hansen, Laura, Garcia, Angie, Cha, Christine, Mozaffari, Azadeh, Hernandez, Rosa, Cutrell, James, Kim, Mina, DellaValle, Natalie, Gonzales, Sonia, Somboonwit, Charurut, Oxner, Asa, Guerra, Lucy, Hayes, Michael, Nguyen, Thi, Tran, Thanh, Pinto, Avenette, Hatlen, Timothy, Anderson, Betty, Zepeda-Gutierrez, Ana, Martin, Dannae, Temblador, Cindi, Cuenca, Avon, Tanoviceanu, Roxanne, Prieto, Martha, Guerrero, Mario, Daar, Eric, Correa, Ramiro, Hartnell, Gabe, Wortmann, Glenn, Doshi, Saumil, Moriarty, Theresa, Gonzales, Melissa, Garman, Kristin, Baker, Jason V., Frosch, Anne, Goldsmith, Rachael, Driver, Brian, Frank, Christine, Leviton, Tzivia, Prekker, Matthew, Jibrell, Hodan, Lo, Melanie, Klaphake, Jonathan, Mackedanz, Shari, Ngo, Linh, Garcia-Myers, Kelly, Kunisaki, Ken M., Wendt, Chris, Melzer, Anne, Wetherbee, Erin, Drekonja, Dimitri, Pragman, Alexa, Hamel, Aimee, Thielen, Abbie, Hassler, Miranda, Walquist, Mary, Augenbraun, Michael, George, Jensen, Demeo, Lynette, Mishko, Motria, Thomas, Lorraine, Tatem, Luis, Dehovitz, Jack, Abassi, Mahsa, Leuck, Anne-Marie, Rao, Via, Pullen, Matthew, Luke, Darlette, LaBar, Derek, Christiansen, Theresa, Howard, Diondra, Biswas, Kousick, Harrington, Cristin, Garcia, Amanda, Bremer, Tammy, Burke, Tara, Koker, Brittany, Davis-Karim, Anne, Pittman, David, Vasudeva, Shikha S., Johnstone, Jaylynn R., Agnetti, Kate, Davis, Ruby, Trautner, Barbara, Hines-Munson, Casey, Van, John, Dillon, Laura, Wang, Yiqun, Nagy-Agren, Stephanie, Vasudeva, Shikha, Ochalek, Tracy, Caldwell, Erin, Humerickhouse, Edward, Boone, David, McGraw, William, Looney, David J., Mehta, Sanjay R., Johns, Scott Thompson, St. John, Melissa, Raceles, Jacqueline, Sear, Emily, Funk, Stephen, Cesarini, Rosa, Fang, Michelle, Nicalo, Keith, Drake, Wonder, Jones, Beatrice, Holtman, Teresa, Nguyen, Hien H., Maniar, Archana, Johnson, Eric A., Nguyen, Lam, Tran, Michelle T., Barrett, Thomas W., Johnston, Tera, Huggins, John T., Beiko, Tatsiana Y., Hughes, Heather Y., McManigle, William C., Tanner, Nichole T., Washburn, Ronald G., Ardelt, Magdalena, Tuohy, Patricia A., Mixson, Jennifer L., Hinton, Charles G., Thornley, Nicola, Allen, Heather, Elam, Shannon, Boatman, Barry, Baber, Brittany J., Ryant, Rudell, Roller, Brentin, Nguyen, Chinh, Mikail, Amani Morgan, Research, Marivic Hansen, Lichtenberger, Paola, Baracco, Gio, Ramos, Carol, Bjork, Lauren, Sueiro, Melyssa, Tien, Phyllis, Freasier, Heather, Buck, Theresa, Nekach, Hafida, Holodniy, Mark, Chary, Aarthi, Lu, Kan, Peters, Theresa, Lopez, Jessica, Tan, Susanna Yu, Lee, Robert H., Asghar, Aliya, Karyn Isip, Tasadduq Karim, Le, Katherine, Nguyen, Thao, Wong, Shinn, Raben, Dorthe, Murray, Daniel D., Jensen, Tomas O., Peters, Lars, Aagaard, Bitten, Nielsen, Charlotte B., Krapp, Katharina, Nykjær, Bente Rosdahl, Olsson, Christina, Kanne, Katja Lisa, Grevsen, Anne Louise, Joensen, Zillah Maria, Bruun, Tina, Bojesen, Ane, Woldbye, Frederik, Normand, Nick E., Esman, Frederik V.L., Benfield, Thomas, Clausen, Clara Lundetoft, Hovmand, Nichlas, Israelsen, Simone Bastrup, Iversen, Katrine, Leding, Caecilie, Pedersen, Karen Brorup, Thorlacius-Ussing, Louise, Tinggaard, Michaela, Tingsgard, Sandra, Krohn-Dehli, Louise, Pedersen, Dorthe, Villadsen, Signe, Staehr Jensen, Jens-Ulrik, Overgaard, Rikke, Rastoder, Ema, Heerfordt, Christian, Hedsund, Caroline, Ronn, Christian Phillip, Kamstrup, Peter Thobias, Hogsberg, Dorthe Sandbaek, Bergsoe, Christina, Søborg, Christian, Hissabu, Nuria M.S., Arp, Bodil C., Ostergaard, Lars, Staerke, Nina Breinholt, Yehdego, Yordanos, Sondergaard, Ane, Johansen, Isik S., Pedersen, Andreas Arnholdt, Knudtzen, Fredrikke C., Larsen, Lykke, Hertz, Mathias A., Fabricius, Thilde, Holden, Inge K., Lindvig, Susan O., Helleberg, Marie, Gerstoft, Jan, Kirk, Ole, Jensen, Tomas Ostergaard, Madsen, Birgitte Lindegaard, Pedersen, Thomas Ingemann, Harboe, Zitta Barrella, Roge, Birgit Thorup, Hansen, Thomas Michael, Glesner, Matilde Kanstrup, Lofberg, Sandra Valborg, Nielsen, Ariella Denize, Leicht von Huth, Sebastian, Nielsen, Henrik, Thisted, Rikke Krog, Petersen, Kristine Toft, Juhl, Maria Ruwald, Podlekareva, Daria, Johnsen, Stine, Andreassen, Helle Frost, Pedersen, Lars, Clara Ellinor Lindnér, Cecilia Ebba, Wiese, Lothar, Knudsen, Lene Surland, Skrøder Nytofte, Nikolaj Julian, Havmøller, Signe Ravn, Expósito, Maria, Badillo, José, Martínez, Ana, Abad, Elena, Chamorro, Ana, Figuerola, Ariadna, Mateu, Lourdes, España, Sergio, Lucero, Maria Constanza, Santos, José Ramón, Lladós, Gemma, Lopez, Cristina, Carabias, Lydia, Molina-Morant, Daniel, Loste, Cora, Bracke, Carmen, Siles, Adrian, Fernández-Cruz, Eduardo, Di Natale, Marisa, Padure, Sergiu, Gomez, Jimena, Ausin, Cristina, Cervilla, Eva, Balastegui, Héctor, Sainz, Carmen Rodríguez, Lopez, Paco, Carbone, Javier, Escobar, Mariam, Balerdi, Leire, Legarda, Almudena, Roldan, Montserrat, Letona, Laura, Muñoz, José, Camprubí, Daniel, Arribas, Jose R., Sánchez, Rocio Montejano, Díaz-Pollán, Beatriz, Stewart, Stefan Mark, Garcia, Irene, Borobia, Alberto, Mora-Rillo, Marta, Estrada, Vicente, Cabello, Noemi, Nuñez-Orantos, M.J., Sagastagoitia, I., Homen, J.R., Orviz, E., Montalvá, Adrián Sánchez, Espinosa-Pereiro, Juan, Bosch-Nicolau, Pau, Salvador, Fernando, Burgos, Joaquin, Morales-Rull, Jose Luis, Moreno Pena, Anna Maria, Acosta, Cristina, Solé-Felip, Cristina, Horcajada, Juan P., Sendra, Elena, Castañeda, Silvia, López-Montesinos, Inmaculada, Gómez-Junyent, Joan, Gonzáles, Carlota Gudiol, Cuervo, Guilermo, Pujol, Miquel, Carratalà, Jordi, Videla, Sebastià, Günthard, Huldrych, Braun, Dominique L., West, Emily, M’Rabeth-Bensalah, Khadija, Eichinger, Mareile L., Grüttner-Durmaz, Manuela, Grube, Christina, Zink, Veronika, pharmacist, Goes pharmacist, Josefine, Fätkenheuer, Gerd, Malin, Jakob J., Tsertsvadze, Tengiz, Abutidze, Akaki, Chkhartishvili, Nikoloz, Metchurtchlishvili, Revaz, Endeladze, Marina, Paciorek, Marcin, Bursa, Dominik, Krogulec, Dominika, Pulik, Piotr, Ignatowska, Anna, Horban, Andrzej, Bakowska, Elzbieta, Kowaska, Justyna, Bednarska, Agnieszka, Jurek, Natalia, Skrzat-Klapaczynska, Agata, Bienkowski, Carlo, Hackiewicz, Malgorzata, Makowiecki, Michal, Platowski, Antoni, Fishchuk, Roman, Kobrynska, Olena, Levandovska, Khrystyna, Kirieieva, Ivanna, Kuziuk, Mykhailo, Naucler, Pontus, Perlhamre, Emma, Mazouch, Lotta, Kelleher, Anthony, Polizzotto, Mark, Carey, Catherine, Chang, Christina C., Hough, Sally, Virachit, Sophie, Davidson, Sarah, Bice, Daniel J., Ognenovska, Katherine, Cabrera, Gesalit, Flynn, Ruth, Young, Barnaby E., Chia, Po Ying, Lee, Tau Hong, Lin, Ray J., Lye, David C., Ong, Sean W.X., Puah, Ser Hon, Yeo, Tsin Wen, Diong, Shiau Hui, Ongko, Juwinda, Yeo, He Ping, Eriobu, Nnakelu, Kwaghe, Vivian, Zaiyad, Habib, Idoko, Godwin, Uche, Blessing, Selvamuthu, Poongulali, Kumarasamy, Nagalingeswaran, Beulah, Faith Ester, Govindarajan, Narayan, Mariyappan, Kowsalya, Losso, Marcelo H., Abela, Cecilia, Moretto, Renzo, Belloc, Carlos G., Ludueña, Jael, Amar, Josefina, Toibaro, Javier, Macias, Laura Moreno, Fernandez, Lucia, Frare, Pablo S., Chaio, Sebastian R., Pachioli, Valeria, Timpano, Stella M., Sanchez, Marisa del Lujan, de Paz Sierra, Mariana, Stanek, Vanina, Belloso, Waldo, Cilenti, Flavia L., Valentini, Ricardo N., Stryjewski, Martin E., Locatelli, Nicolas, Soler Riera, Maria C., Salgado, Clara, Baeck, Ines M., Di Castelnuovo, Valentina, Zarza, Stella M., Hudson, Fleur, Parmar, Mahesh K.B., Goodman, Anna L., Dphil, Badrock, Jonathan, Gregory, Adam, Goodall, Katharine, Harris, Nicola, Wyncoll, James, Bhagani, S., Rodger, A., Luntiel, A., Patterson, C., Morales, J., Witele, E., Preston, A.-M., Nandani, A., Price, D.A., Hanrath, Aiden, Nell, Jeremy, Patel, Bijal, Hays, Carole, Jones, Geraldine, Davidson, Jade, Bawa, T., Mathews, M., Mazzella, A., Bisnauthsing, K., Aguilar-Jimenez, L., Borchini, F., Hammett, S., Touloumi, Giota, Pantazis, Nikos, Gioukari, Vicky, Souliou, Tania, Antoniadou, A., Protopapas, K., Kavatha, D., Grigoropoulou, S., Oikonomopoulo, C., Moschopoulos, C., Koulouris, N.G., Tzimopoulos, K., Koromilias, A., Argyraki, K., Lourida, P., Bakakos, P., Kalomenidis, I., Vlachakos, V., Barmparessou, Z., Balis, E., Zakynthinos, S., Sigala, I., Gianniou, N., Dima, E., Magkouta, S., Synolaki, E., Konstanta, S., Vlachou, M., Stathopoulou, P., Panagopoulos, P., Petrakis, V., Papazoglou, D., Tompaidou, E., Isaakidou, E., Poulakou, G., Rapti, V., Leontis, K., Nitsotolis, T., Athanasiou, K., Syrigos, K., Kyriakoulis, K., Trontzas, I., Arfara-Melanini, M., Kolonis, V., Kityo, Cissy, Mugerwa, Henry, Kiweewa, Francis, Kimuli, Ivan, Lukaakome, Joseph, Nsereko, Christoher, Lubega, Gloria, Kibirige, Moses, Nakahima, William, Wangi, Deus, Aguti, Evelyne, Generous, Lilian, Massa, Rosemary, Nalaki, Margaret, Magala, Felix, Nabaggala, Phiona Kaweesi, Kidega, Robert, Faith, Oryem Daizy, Florence, Apio, Emmanuel, Ocung, Beacham, Mugoonyi Paul, Geoffrey, Amone, Nakiboneka, Dridah, Apiyo, Paska, Kirenga, Bruce, Atukunda, Angella, Muttamba, Winters, Remmy, Kyeyume, Segawa, Ivan, Pheona, Nsubuga, Kigere, David, Mbabazi, Queen Lailah, Boersalino, Ledra, Nyakoolo, Grace, Fred, Aniongo, Alupo, Alice, Ebong, Doryn, Monday, Edson, Nalubwama, Ritah Norah, Kainja, Milton, Ambrose, Munu, Kwehayo, Vanon, Nalubega, Mary Grace, Ongoli, Augustine, Obbo, Stephen, Sebudde, Nicholus, Alaba, Jeniffer, Magombe, Geoffrey, Tino, Harriet, Obonya, Emmanuel, Lutaakome, Joseph, Kitonsa, Jonathan, Onyango, Martin, Naboth, Tukamwesiga, Naluyinda, Hadijah, Nanyunja, Regina, Irene, Muttiibwa, Jane, Biira, Wimfred, Kyobejja, Leonard, Ssemazzi, Deus, Tkiinomuhisha, Babra, Namasaba, Taire, Paul, Nabankema, Evelyn, Ogavu, Joseph, Mugerwa, Oscar, Okoth, Ivan, Mwebaze, Raymond, Mugabi, Timothy, Makhoba, Anthony, Arikiriza, Phiona, Theresa, Nabuuma, Nakayima, Hope, Frank, Kisuule, Ramgi, Patrícia, Pereira, Kássia, Osinusi, Anu, Cao, Huyen, Klekotka, Paul, Price, Karen, Nirula, Ajay, Osei, Suzette, Tipple, Craig, Wills, Angela, Peppercorn, Amanda, Watson, Helen, Gupta, Rajesh, Alexander, Elizabeth, Mogalian, Erik, Lin, Leo, Ding, Xiao, Margolis, David, Yan, Li, Girardet, Jean-Luc, Ma, Ji, Hong, Zhi, Zhu, Quing, Seegobin, Seth, Gibbs, Michael, Latchman, Mickel, Hasior, Katarzyna, Bouquet, Jerome, Wei, Jianxin, Streicher, Katie, Schmelzer, Albert, Brooks, Dennis, Butcher, Jonny, Tonev, Dimitar, Arbetter, Douglas, Damstetter, Philippe, Legenne, Philippe, Stumpp, Michael, Goncalves, Susana, Ramanathan, Krishnan, Chandra, Richa, Baseler, Beth, Teitelbaum, Marc, Schechner, Adam, Holley, H. Preston, Jankelevich, Shirley, Becker, Nancy, Dolney, Suzanne, Hissey, Debbie, Simpson, Shelly, Kim, Mi Ha, Beeler, Joy, Harmon, Liam, Asomah, Mabel, Jato, Yvonne, Stottlemyer, April, Tang, Olivia, Vanderpuye, Sharon, Yeon, Lindsey, Buehn, Molly, Eccard-Koons, Vanessa, Frary, Sadie, MacDonald, Leah, Cash, Jennifer, Hoopengardner, Lisa, Linton, Jessica, Schaffhauser, Marylu, Nelson, Michaela, Spinelli-Nadzam, Mary, Proffitt, Calvin, Lee, Christopher, Engel, Theresa, Fontaine, Laura, Osborne, C.K., Hohn, Matt, Galcik, Michael, Thompson, DeeDee, Kopka, Stacey, Shelley, Denise M., Mendez, Gregg, Brown, Shawn, Albert, Sara, Balde, Abby, Baracz, Michelle, Bielica, Mona, Billouin-Frazier, Shere, Choudary, Jay, Dixon, Mary, Eyler, Carolyn, Frye, Leanne, Gertz, Jensen, Giebeig, Lisa, Gulati, Neelam, Hankinson, Liz, Hogarty, Debi, Huber, Lynda, Krauss, Gary, Lake, Eileen, Manandhar, Meryan, Rudzinski, Erin, Sandrus, Jen, Suders, Connie, Natarajan, Ven, Rupert, Adam W., Baseler, Michael, Lynam, Danielle, Imamichi, Tom, Laverdure, Sylvain, McCormack, Ashley, Paudel, Sharada, Cook, Kyndal, Haupt, Kendra, Khan, Ayub, Hazen, Allison, Badralmaa, Yunden, Smith, Kenneth, Patel, Bhakti, Kubernac, Amanda, Kubernac, Robert, Hoover, Marie L., Solomon, Courtney, Rashid, Marium, Murphy, Joseph, Brown, Craig, DuChateau, Nadine, Ellis, Sadie, Flosi, Adam, Fox, Lisa, Johnson, Les, Nelson, Rich, Stojanovic, Jelena, Treagus, Amy, Wenner, Christine, Williams, Richard, Jensen, Tomas O, Murray, Thomas A, Grandits, Greg A, Jain, Mamta K, Shaw-Saliba, Kathryn, Matthay, Michael A, Baker, Jason V, Dewar, Robin L, Goodman, Anna L, Hatlen, Timothy J, Highbarger, Helene C, Lallemand, Perrine, Leshnower, Bradley G, Looney, David, Moschopoulos, Charalampos D, Murray, Daniel D, Mylonakis, Eleftherios, Rehman, M Tauseef, Rupert, Adam, Stevens, Randy, Turville, Stuart, Wick, Katherine, Lundgren, Jens, and Ko, Emily R

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

47. Bioinformatics analyses of next generation sequencing Hepatitis C virus samples

Author

Kremyda-Vlachou, Myrto

Abstract

Background: There are 118,000 patients with chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the UK and the virus is considered a major public health threat by the WHO. Pangenotypic treatment has increased cure rates (>95%), which could reduce the need for subtyping, but currently in the UK genotype-dependent drug combinations are implemented. Injecting drug users are particularly affected and driving transmission. Sequencing could be used at scale to inform the clinical and public treatment of HCV, but the added value of sequencing over current methods for subtyping remains unclear. The aim of this PhD was to explore the utility of HCV WGS to support clinical and public health responses to HCV. Methods: I used the Infection response through virus genomics (ICONIC) pipeline to carry out de novo assembly of 1682 HCV samples and conducted quality control analyses of these genomes. I compared different genotyping tools and investigated whether whole genomes provided more accurate genotyping results compared to specific regions of the HCV genome. I also compared WGS genotyping with genotyping information from a clinical dataset. Lastly, I used clinical and genotype data for phylogenetic and statistical analyses to uncover associations between patient characteristics and transmission clustering. Results: Genotype-specific primers produced lower quality of genomes compared to pan-genotypic primers. WGS is as accurate as NS5B Sanger sequencing in assigning genotypes and subtypes, but was more accurate than 5'UTR and core regions. I found that PWIDs, White ethnicity and being in Glasgow were associated with HCV transmission chains. Conclusion: WGS offers a lot of information in the study of HCV. Its utility in the clinic is questioned due to the high efficacy of the treatments. However, research and surveillance using WGS can help support public health policies to reduce transmission of HCV and can be used to monitor the emergence of drug resistance.

Published
2022

48. Parents’ needs during a child’s hospitalisation in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU): a systematic review

Author

A. Boroklinioti, A. Sarantaki, E. Dousis, A. Zartaloudi, E. Evangelou, C. Dafogianni, M. Polikandrioti, E. Vlachou, and I. Koutelekos

Subjects
Psychiatry, RC435-571
Abstract

Introduction The admission of children to PICU is a painful experience for parents. Regularly, they are asked to make important decisions about treatment options in collaboration with the care team, which causes them stress, uncertainty and trauma. Objectives To investigate the needs of parents during the child’s hospitalization in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Methods A systematic review of the literature and a search of articles in the international databases PubMed, Cinahl, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library and Greek scientific journals was performed with a peer review process during the period between April and July 2022. A time limit was set regarding the date of publication of the articles (articles published in the last 15 years). Results Nine studies were found that met the criteria for inclusion in the review. The thematic analysis of the results deduced the following sections A: Need for information from health professionals regarding the child’s health status and the possible treatment options available, B: Need for psychological support from health professionals (psychologists, nurses, doctors) in order to be able to manage the difficult situation they are experiencing due to the hospitalization of their child, but also to be able to manage their grief and sorrow in case of loss of the child. C: Need for safe hospitalisation of the child. Conclusions Parents have needs during their child’s hospitalization in the PICU, which if put in boundaries-frames and guided by health professionals (who possess knowledge and composure in difficult moments) can bring about a smooth course of the child’s health during hospitalization. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

49. Quality of life in children and adolescents with beta thalassemia

Author

A. Tsagkou, E. Evangelou, E. Vlachou, A. Zartaloudi, E. Dousis, C. Dafogianni, M. Polikandrioti, and I. Koutelekos

Subjects
Psychiatry, RC435-571
Abstract

Introduction Children and adolescents with thalassemia suffer from chronicity of the disease and its treatment, including transfusion dependence and complications of iron overload. Objectives To investigate the quality of life of children and adolescents with Beta Thalassaemia. Methods This study is a cross-sectional study conducted at the Greek public Children’s Hospital. PedsQL ™ 4.0 Generic Core Scale (Greek version) was used to evaluate HRQOL in 41 thalassemia patients aged between 5 and 18 years and in 41 healthy controls of the same age range. For the analysis, the Statistic Package (SPSS ver.24) was used. Using Spearman’s correlation coefficient, t-test and MannWhitney tests were used, while for variables with three or more levels the Anova and Kruskall-Wallis. In order to investigate the relationship between two quantitative variables, Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used, while the relationship between two qualitative variables was used to control x2. As a statistical significance level, α = 5% was defined. Results Of the 41 children with beta Thalassemia who participated in the study, 48.8% (n = 20) were boys and 51.2% (n = 21) girls. The mean age of children was 10.02 ± 4.10 years. For healthy children who participated in the study 51.2% (n = 21) were boys while 48.8% (n = 20) were girls. The mean age of the children was 9.63 ± 3.77 years. Children with Beta Thalassaemia have a lower quality of life in Physical Health and Activity(

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

50. Assessment of the intensity of state-trait anxiety of children with cancer

Author

G. Kyritsi, A. Zartaloudi, H. Kyritsi, E. Dousis, E. Evangelou, C. Dafogianni, M. Polikandrioti, E. Vlachou, and I. Koutelekos

Subjects
Psychiatry, RC435-571
Abstract

Introduction Children with cancer face many difficulties on a daily basis which place them at increased risk of developing anxiety and discomfort. Objectives To assess the intensity of state-trait anxiety in children with cancer. Methods The sample of the study consisted of 100 children from Greek Children’s Hospital, aged 8-16 years, of which 56 had cancer, representing the study group while the control-group was 44 in an outpatient clinic with endocrinological problems. Data were collected by the completion of the questionnaire “State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for children” by Ch. Spielberger. Statistical package S.P.S.S. was used for statistical analysis. 22 and the statistical test, t-test and anova. The significance level was set at p 0.05. Children whose fathers were of higher education experienced less anxiety and differed significantly from those of primary and secondary education, p=0.036 and p=0.021, respectively. Comparison between control group and study group in relation to gender, showed that girls with cancer experienced trait anxiety of higher intensity, p=0.029 but children between 14-16 years from the control group experienced trait anxiety of higher intensity, p=0.030. Conclusions Children of both groups experienced mild to moderate anxiety and its intensity was related to socio-demographic factors of the children and their parents. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

Catalog

Books, media, physical & digital resources
See catalog results