Prevalence of tobacco use, exposure to secondhand smoke and knowledge on smoking cessation among students of health professions in Central Greece: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke among students of health professions (SHPs) and determine possible risk factors for current smoking. In addition, we sought to investigate the level of students' knowledge regarding smoking cessation.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Prevalence and determinants of current cigarette smoking and secondhand smoking among Greek adolescents: the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2013 study.

Objectives: Smoking prevalence in Greece is considered high within the European Union and the collection of evidence on tobacco use among adolescents is of vital importance in order to develop effective smoking prevention and cessation programmes.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Greece.

Association of treatment for bacterial meningitis with the development of sequelae.

Background: Bacterial meningitis continues to be a serious, often disabling infectious disease. The aim of this study was to assess the possibility that treatment influences the development of sequelae in childhood bacterial meningitis.

Methods: Two thousand four hundred and seventy-seven patients aged 1 month to 14 years with acute bacterial meningitis over a 32-year period were enrolled in the study.

Risk factors of antibiotic misuse for upper respiratory tract infections in children: results from a cross-sectional knowledge-attitude-practice study in Greece.

Background. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are common in children. The cause of URTIs is usually viral, but parents' attitudes often contribute to inappropriate prescription of antibiotics, promoting antibiotic resistance.

Prognostic factors related to sequelae in childhood bacterial meningitis: data from a Greek meningitis registry.

Background: Bacterial meningitis (BM) is a life-threatening disease, often related with serious complications and sequelae. Infants and children who survive bacterial meningitis often suffer neurological and other sequelae.

Methods: A total of 2,477 patients aged 1 month to 14 years old hospitalized in a Children's Hospital in Greece diagnosed with acute bacterial meningitis were collected through a Meningitis Registry, from 1974 to 2005.

Antibiotic use for upper respiratory tract infections in children: a cross-sectional survey of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of parents in Greece.

Background: Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are common in children. The cause of URTIs is usually viral, but parents' attitudes often contribute to inappropriate prescription of antibiotics, promoting antibiotic resistance. The objective of this study was to document and analyse parental beliefs on antibiotic use for children with URTIs in Greece, a country with high levels of antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance.

Diagnostic clinical and laboratory findings in response to predetermining bacterial pathogen: data from the Meningitis Registry.

Background: Childhood meningitis continues to be an important cause of mortality in many countries. The search for rapid diagnosis of acute bacterial meningitis has lead to the further exploration of prognostic factors. This study was scheduled in an attempt to analyze various clinical symptoms as well as rapid laboratory results and provide an algorithm for the prediction of specific bacterial aetiology of childhood bacterial meningitis.

Development and assessment of a questionnaire for a descriptive cross-sectional study concerning parents' knowledge, attitudes and practises in antibiotic use in Greece.

Background: Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs) are common in children. The cause is usually viral, but parents' attitude often contributes to inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, promoting antibiotic resistance. The objective is to describe the process of developing a questionnaire to assess parents' Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) concerning the role of antibiotics when children suffer from URIs, as well as to evaluate the response rates, the completeness and the reliability (Cronbach) of the questionnaires.

Multivitamins and phospholipids complex protects the hepatic cells from androgenic-anabolic-steroids-induced toxicity.

Introduction: Androgenic-anabolic-steroids (AAS)-induced hepatotoxicity typically occurs with C-17 alkylated oral agents abused by exercising individuals at clinically recommended doses. Injectable compounds appear to have the same risk for hepatotoxicity, but are applied in doses three to six times higher than clinically recommended. AAS users occasionally try to avoid the well-known hepatotoxic effects associated with the abuse of a multitude of AAS agents, by using the pharmaceutical agent compound N a phospholipid/vitamin preparation.

Meningitis registry of hospitalized cases in children: epidemiological patterns of acute bacterial meningitis throughout a 32-year period.

Background: Bacterial meningitis remains a source of substantial morbidity and mortality in childhood. During the last decades gradual changes have been observed in the epidemiology of bacterial meningitis, related to the introduction of new polysaccharide and conjugate vaccines. The study presents an overview of the epidemiological patterns of acute bacterial meningitis in a tertiary children 's hospital during a 32-year period, using information from a disease registry.

Psychiatric and hostility factors related to use of anabolic steroids in monozygotic twins.

Introduction: Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are derived by chemical manipulation of the testosterone molecule. The specified category of drugs produces anabolic, androgenic and psycho-active effects including elevated aggressive, hostile, violent and anti social behavior.

Objective: The objective of this case report observational study was to evaluate the possible psychological consequences of AS use in the twin user of each pair, compared with the non-user twin.

Psychiatric side effects induced by supraphysiological doses of combinations of anabolic steroids correlate to the severity of abuse.

Objective: The objective of our study was to evaluate the psychological consequences of real-world AAS use in athletes abusing such agents, in comparison with a placebo and control group of comparable athletes, while correlating the severity of abuse with the side effects observed. The hypothesis tested by the study was that the use of AAS induces a wide range of psychological side effects whose impact and emergence is dependent upon the severity of the abuse.

Design: The study includes a substantial group of AAS abusing athletes and two more groups demographically similar to the first, one composed of athletes not using any substance and a placebo group.