Guidelines adherence for patients with community acquired pneumonia in a Greek hospital.

Background And Objectives: Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality, with significant economical and social cost. Adherence to the international guidelines for the empiric treatment of CAP can improve patients' prognosis, reduces the need and shortens the length for hospitalization. However, adherence to guidelines varies among physicians.

Thiazolidinediones and type 2 diabetes: from cellular targets to cardiovascular benefit.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is evolving globally at an alarming rate. This fact is mainly the result of our global lifestyle "modernization" that has resulted in overweight and obesity. Dysfunction of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance, while a reduce expression of many PPAR-gamma regulated genes has been observed in an obese diabetic state.

Polymorphisms of the NRAMP1 gene: distribution and susceptibility to the development of pulmonary tuberculosis in the Greek population.

Background: Ample evidence suggests that host genetic factors affect human susceptibility to tuberculosis. The natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1) gene seems to play a role in the pathophysiology of a number of intracellular infections, including mycobacteria. A case-control study was conducted in the Greek population to determine whether NRAMP1 polymorphisms affect the susceptibility to development of overt pulmonary tuberculosis.

Serological evidence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD: analysis of 100 hospitalizations.

Purpose: A prospective study was conducted in order to investigate the serologic evidence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in Greek hospitalized patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). Furthermore, we have assessed the frequency of a number of variables in the group of patients with a serological diagnosis of an acute M. pneumoniae infection compared to patients in whom M.

Ambient air pollution and respiratory health effects in mail carriers.

Mail carriers represent an occupational group suffering from respiratory symptoms and lung function impairment. Although environmental conditions may play role, information on the effects of air pollution exposure in this population is lacking. The present study was conducted in Athens, Greece, in order to investigate the adverse effects of long-term air pollution exposure on respiratory outcomes in mail carriers.