Attitudes and behaviours of Greeks concerning blood donation: recruitment and retention campaigns should be focused on need rather than altruism.

Background: Blood supplies in Greece are insufficient to meet the high transfusion needs arising from car accidents and treatment of thalassaemia. This study was designed to determine Greeks' opinions about blood donation, in order to identify the reasons for the lack of motivation to donate and allow experts to establish better recruitment campaigns for the enrichment of the donor pool, based on our findings.

Materials And Methods: The opinions of randomly selected Greek citizens (n=800) about volunteer blood donation were assessed by means of a standardised, anonymous questionnaire.

Milestones in the history of research on cardiac energy metabolism.

The present study summarizes the history of research on cardiac metabolism from antiquity till the 21st century. It describes important landmarks regarding the discovery of oxygen and of the 3 steps of cellular respiration, as well as major research on cardiac energy metabolism. For this purpose, we conducted a thorough search of original manuscripts, books, and contemporary reviews published in PubMed.