The Alonissos Study: Cross-Sectional Study of the Healthcare Access and User Satisfaction in the Community of a Non-Profit-Line Greek Island.

Healthcare access and a high quality of the provided services to healthcare users are fundamental human rights according to the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978. Although 45 years have passed since then, health inequalities still exist, not only among countries but also within populations of the same country. For example, several small Greek islands have only a small Primary Healthcare Center in order to provide healthcare services to the insular population.

Effects of pharmacological primary cilium disturbance in the context of in vitro 2D and 3D malignant pleura mesothelioma.

Introduction: Primary cilium (PC) is a single non-motile antenna-like organelle composed of a microtubule core axon originating from the mother centriole of the centrosome. The PC is universal in all mammalian cells and protrudes to the extracellular environment receiving mechanochemical cues that it transmits in the cell.

Aim: To investigate the role of PC in mesothelial malignancy in the context of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) phenotypes.

The Alonissos Study: Cross-Sectional Study of the Community Respiratory Health Status in a Greek Healthcare Access Underprivileged Island.

In this study, we investigated the self-reported (questionnaire-based) prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome (OSAS) and the prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) in the context of demographics and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the general population of Alonissos, a non-profit line island in Greece (i.e., with scarce boat transportation to the mainland).

Are younger COPD patients adequately vaccinated for influenza and pneumococcus?

Influenza and pneumococcal pneumonia are major causes of increased morbidity and mortality among elderly and COPD patients. Vaccines against influenza and pneumococcus are recommended for COPD patients according to GOLD 2020 guidelines to prevent serious illnesses. Despite their high morbidity and mortality burden, the vaccination coverage rates remain far below the WHO's recommended targets.

Mortality Among Hospitalized Patients With Pleural Effusions. A Multicenter, Observational, Prospective Study.

Background: Data regarding the prognostic significance of pleural effusion (PE) are scarce.

Objective: Explore the impact of PE on mortality among hospitalized patients.

Methods: Multicenter prospective observational study.

Association between Interleukin-6 and vitamin D serum levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and impact of long-term continuous positive airway pressure therapy on biomarker levels.

Objective: Hypoxia induces interleukin-6 (IL-6) production in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Low serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels have been linked to OSAS susceptibility. Serum 25(OH)D levels have been negatively correlated with serum IL-6 levels in patients with chronic inflammation.

Discrimination of Exudative Pleural Effusions Based on Pleural Adenosine Deaminase (ADA)-C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Levels, and Their Combination: An Observational Prospective Study.

(1) Background: Malignant (MPE), parapneumonic (PPE) and tuberculous (TPE) pleural effusions constitute common causes of pleurisy. Discriminating among them is usually challenging. C-reactive protein (CRP) and adenosine deaminase (ADA) pleural levels (p-CRP, p-ADA) have been used as differentiators in many studies showing promising results.

The Use of a Novel Quantitative Marker of Echogenicity of Pleural Fluid in Parapneumonic Pleural Effusions.

Background: Thoracic ultrasound is an essential tool in the daily clinical care of pleural effusions and especially parapneumonic pleural effusions (PPEs), in terms of diagnosis, management, and follow-up. Hypoechogenicity index (HI) is a quantitative marker of pleural fluid echogenicity. We aimed to examine associations of HI with pleural inflammation in patients with PPE.

Serum vitamin D levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and level changes after continuous positive airway pressure therapy.

Purpose: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) have been found to exhibit lower serum vitamin D levels, even when the control groups are matched for confounding conditions. However, contradictory studies are also present. This study aimed to compare serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels between adult patients with OSAS and non-apneic controls and to evaluate the changes in 25(OH)D levels after 3 and 12 months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.

Correlation of pleural effusions' grayscale sonographic parameters with fluid's analysis results.

Background: Quantitative sonographic methods are used to assess pleural fluid's volume but no validated method exists for the measurement of the fluids' density and other qualitative values. We suggest a quantitative method, based on the pixel density of the pleural effusion's image, in order to evaluate the echogenicity of pleural effusion.

Methods: Pleural ultrasound (US) was performed in 62 patients with pleural effusion.