Is There an Association Between Cesarean Section Delivery with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) or/and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? A Cross-Sectional Study in Greek Population.

Background/objective: Learning difficulties (LDs) are lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders with multifactorial causes, including perinatal factors like mode of delivery. This study aims to explore whether cesarean section (CS) delivery is linked to the occurrence of specific learning disabilities (SLDs), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or their comorbidity.

Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed via Google Forms to Greek mothers and parents of children with and without diagnoses, shared through school-related groups and various Greek pages focused on child development, special education, and learning difficulties.

SNP and Structural Study of the Notch Superfamily Provides Insights and Novel Pharmacological Targets against the CADASIL Syndrome and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

The evolutionary conserved Notch signaling pathway functions as a mediator of direct cell-cell communication between neighboring cells during development. Notch plays a crucial role in various fundamental biological processes in a wide range of tissues. Accordingly, the aberrant signaling of this pathway underlies multiple genetic pathologies such as developmental syndromes, congenital disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.

Seroprevalence of among HIV Positive Patients under Surveillance in Greek Infectious Disease Units: A Screening Study with Comparative Evaluation of Serological Methods.

This study aims to screen for IgG antibodies against () in the sera of 155 newly diagnosed Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive patients under surveillance in Greek Infectious Disease Units. Additionally, risk factors based on patient demographics were examined, and a comparative evaluation of commercially available serological methods was conducted. Three methods were employed to detect IgG antibodies against : Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Indirect Immunofluorescence Antibody Test (IFAT), and Western Blot (WB), which was used as a reference here.

Comparison Between EPI DWI and PROPELLER DWI in Brain MR Imaging.

Objective: EPI DWI is a routinely used sequence in brain imaging but it has limitations when it comes to SNR and artifact reduction. PROPELLER DWI has the benefit of improving image quality compared to EPI DWI. The aim of this study is to compare the EPI DWI sequence in brain MR imaging with the PROPELLER DWI sequence.

Viral Infections and Schizophrenia: A Comprehensive Review.

Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder with multiple genetic and environmental factors contributing to its pathogenesis. Viral infections have been suggested to be one of the environmental factors associated with the development of this disorder. We comprehensively review all relevant published literature focusing on the relationship between schizophrenia and various viral infections, such as influenza virus, herpes virus 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), retrovirus, coronavirus, and Borna virus.

Nine Months of Hybrid Intradialytic Exercise Training Improves Ejection Fraction and Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System Activity.

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Intradialytic aerobic exercise training has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular system function and reduces mortality in HD patients. However, the impact of other forms of exercise on the cardiovascular system, such as hybrid exercise, is not clear.

Association of endometriosis with cardiovascular disease: Genetic aspects (Review).

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) comprises a broad spectrum of pathological conditions that affect the heart or blood vessels, including sequelae that arise from damaged vasculature in other organs of the body, such as the brain, kidneys or eyes. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial intima and is the primary cause of coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, heart attack, stroke and renal pathology. It represents a leading cause of mortality worldwide and the loss of human productivity that is marked by an altered immune response.

Anthropometric, Lifestyle Characteristics, Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, and COVID-19 Have a High Impact on the Greek Adolescents' Health-Related Quality of Life.

Objective: The study aimed at analyzing the relationship between anthropometric characteristics, lifestyle, and dietary habits, as well as the burden of the pandemic on the health-related quality of life among Greek pupils.

Research Methods And Procedures: On the whole, 2088 adolescents aged 12-18 years from Attica, Greece, were enlisted in this school-based cross-sectional study that took place in May-December 2021. Health-related quality of life was estimated through the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire, adherence to the Mediterranean diet-through the KIDMED test.

Analysis of RANK-c interaction partners identifies TRAF3 as a critical regulator of breast cancer aggressiveness.

Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease both at the histological and molecular levels. We have previously shown that RANK-c is a regulator of NF-κB signaling and exerts a suppressive effect on aggressive properties of ER negative breast cancer cells, while there is an opposite effect on ER positive cell lines. In order to identify molecular determinants that govern the opposing function of RANK-c in breast cancer cells we employed the two cell lines with the highest degree of phenotypic divergence upon RANK-c-expression (SKBR3 and BT474) and identified proteins that interact with RANK-c by affinity-enrichment mass spectrometry (AE-MS) analysis.

Cellular Senescence in Normal Mammary Gland and Breast Cancer. Implications for Cancer Therapy.

Cellular senescence (CS) is a major homeostatic biological process, which plays a key role in normal tissue development and provides protection from stressful cell insults. The role of CS in mammary-gland development and breast cancer is not well understood. While there is a lack of experimental data on the role of CS in the development of the pre-pubertal mammary gland, there is evidence for a biphasic senescence response in adult normal-mammary-epithelial cells, where the bypass of the first senescence barrier (M0) seems to be a key step in the development of premalignant lesions, with genetic abnormalities that resemble in situ breast carcinoma.

RANK-C Expression Sensitizes ER-Negative, EGFR-Positive Breast Cancer Cells to EGFR-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs).

Background: We have previously shown that overexpression of RANK-c in ER-negative breast cancer cell lines attenuates aggressive properties of cancer cells, partially through a RANK-c/EGFR interaction. EGFR inhibition through TKIs in breast cancer has been tested in triple-negative disease settings with limited clinical benefit for patients. Here we test if expression of RANK-c in ER-negative breast cancer cells in conjunction with treatment with TK inhibitors (erlotinib or gefitinib) can affect survival and colony-forming capacity of cancer cells.

The Importance of Use of the On-line Databases as a Source for Systematic Review of Toxoplasmosis Screening During Pregnancy.

Background: Infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii is a common infection in animals and humans worldwide. This infection can occur after ingestion of water or food contaminated with cat oocytes, ingestion of tissue cysts in mammalian and avian meat and congenitally. The prenatal infection can lead to Congenital Toxoplasmosis with miscarriage or stillbirth.

Awareness, Knowledge and Risky Behaviors of Sexually Transmitted Diseases among Young People in Greece.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) affect mainly young individuals and cause health, social, and economic problems worldwide. The present study used a web questionnaire to assess the awareness, knowledge, sexual behaviors, and common practices regarding STDs in young Greek adults. The 1833 individuals, aged 18-30 years, who responded to the study seem to be particularly knowledgeable regarding STDs such as AIDS (97.

CYP1A2 polymorphisms modify the association of habitual coffee consumption with appetite, macronutrient intake, and body mass index: results from an observational cohort and a cross-over randomized study.

Background/objectives: Evidence regarding the influence of coffee on appetite and weight control is equivocal and the influence of covariates, such as genetic variation in caffeine metabolism, remains unknown. Herein, we addressed the novel hypothesis that genetic variation in CYP1A2, a gene responsible for more than 95% of caffeine metabolism, differentially impacts the association of coffee consumption with appetite and BMI among individuals with different genetic predispositions to obesity.

Subjects/methods: A cross-over randomized intervention study involving 18 volunteers assessed the effects of coffee consumption on dietary intake, appetite, and levels of the appetite-controlling hormones asprosin and leptin.

Animal Coronaviruses Induced Apoptosis.

Apoptosis is a form of programmed death that has also been observed in cells infected by several viruses. It is considered one of the most critical innate immune mechanisms that limits pathogen proliferation and propagation before the initiation of the adaptive immune response. Recent studies investigating the cellular responses to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infection have revealed that coronaviruses can alter cellular homeostasis and promote cell death, providing evidence that the modulation of apoptotic pathways is important for viral replication and propagation.

The "Virtual Digital Twins" Concept in Precision Nutrition.

Nutritional and lifestyle changes remain at the core of healthy aging and disease prevention. Accumulating evidence underscores the impact of genetic, metabolic, and host gut microbial factors on individual responses to nutrients, paving the way for the stratification of nutritional guidelines. However, technological advances that incorporate biological, nutritional, lifestyle, and health data at an unprecedented scale and depth conceptualize a future where preventative dietary interventions will exceed stratification and will be highly individualized.

Desmin is essential for the structure and function of the sinoatrial node: implications for increased arrhythmogenesis.

Our objective was to investigate the effect of desmin depletion on the structure and function of the sinoatrial pacemaker complex (SANcl) and its implication in arrhythmogenesis. Analysis of mice and humans (SANcl) indicated that the sinoatrial node exhibits high amounts of desmin, desmoplakin, N-cadherin, and β-catenin in structures we call "lateral intercalated disks" connecting myocytes side by side. Examination of the SANcl from an arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy model, desmin-deficient (Des) mouse, by immunofluorescence, ultrastructural, and Western blot analysis showed that the number of these lateral intercalated disks was diminished.

Nutrigenetic genotyping study in relation to Sleep Apnea Clinical Score.

Background: Conflicting results regarding associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IRS1, ACE, APOE, PPARG, MTHFR, 5HT2AR, BDNF, and FTO genes and obstructive sleep apnea have been reported in previous studies.

Objective: To assess pleiotropic associations between these gene polymorphisms that are commonly being studied in a nutrigenetic test and sleep apnea.

Methods: One hundred and nine subjects of Caucasian origin who have performed a commercially available nutrigenetic test that includes the aforementioned polymorphisms were divided into two groups depending on the results of their Sleep Apnea Clinical Score (SACS ≤ 15 or > 15).

Site-specific use of molecular markers could be a promising prognostic tool in colorectal cancer.

Proximal and distal colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) are generally considered as genetically and clinicopathologically distinct disease entities. Tumor location has been proposed as an additional prognostic indicator and -more recently- as a factor with significant influence on the prognostic value of particular molecular markers and/or combination of markers (KRAS, MSI, APC/MSI), allowing the discrimination of specific disease subsets with considerably disparate outcome and the identification of high risk cases. This article examines the clinical importance of particular recent proposals on this specific issue.

Genetics in the Clinical Decision of Antiplatelet Treatment.

Background: Coronary artery disease remains the leading cause of death globally. Dual antiplatelet treatment with aspirin and aP2Y12 receptor significantly reduces thrombotic events. However, antiplatelet drug response displays considerable interindividual variability.

Unusual clot formation following insertion of central double lumen catheter for hemodialysis.

Background: We report a case of a patient with chronic renal failure (CRF) due to fibrillary glomerulonephritis, who was admitted to our Hospital with fever accompanied by chills, of two days duration. Due to aggravation of his CRF, accompanied by severe metabolic acidosis, an internal jugular double lumen central vein catheter was inserted, through which he was hemodialyzed.

Methods: Blood cultures were negative.

Incidence and risk factors of coronary artery disease in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

Aim of the study was to estimate the incidence of coronary heart disease (CAD) in patients (pts) with end stage renal disease (ESRD) maintained on chronic hemodialysis (HD) and its association with the presence of predisposing factors. The study included 171 dialysis pts (107 male (M) and 64 female (F)). Mean age of pts was 67+/-13 years, mean time on dialysis 52.

Incidence and risk factors of coronary heart disease in elderly patients on chronic hemodialysis.

Aim: To determine the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients (pts) over 65 years (y) and its relation to common risk factors.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 128 hemodialysis (HD) pts (80 M and 48 F), mean age 73+/-6.5 years, mean time on HD 44.

Acute improvement of aortic mechanics following hemodialysis in patients with chronic renal failure.

Background: Evidence suggests that distensibility of the aorta is decreased in patients with end-stage renal failure, while the underlying mechanisms are unclear.

Hypothesis: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the distensibility of the aorta in patients at the end stage of chronic renal failure before and after hemodialysis (HD).

Methods: The diameter of the ascending aorta and distensibility were assessed in 48 patients on HD (31 men, 17 women, aged 45+/-14 years) and in 27 normal subjects (17 men, 10 women, aged 44+/-14 years).