Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with obesity, smoking and low socioeconomic status in large and representative samples of rural, urban, and suburban adult Greek populations.

Objective: In this cross-sectional epidemiologic study we examined the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and demographic, clinical, and socioeconomic parameters in large rural, urban and suburban populations of adult Greeks.

Design: Of the total target adult population (≥19 years, n=14233) in nine selected geographical regions covering rural, suburban, and urban areas of Greece, 10,647 subjects were included in the study. Data were collected by physicians who interviewed subjects at their homes between 1996 and 1999.

The story of insulin discovery.

Many researchers had tried to isolate insulin from animal pancreas, but Frederick Banting, a young surgeon, and Charles Best, a medical student, were the ones that succeeded. They both worked hard in very difficult conditions in the late 1921 and early 1922 until final success. They encountered problems with the impurities of their extract that was causing inflammations, but J.

Antiatheromatic effects of insulin.

Despite numerous publications according to which insulin promotes atherosclerosis, there are many observations in the last fifteen years suggesting that insulin has antiatherogenic properties. Insulin has vasodilatory, antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory effects. A good glycemic control contributes to the maximum efficiency of antiatherogenic action of insulin.

Effects of improving glycemic control with insulin on leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin and neuropeptidey levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a pilot study.

Objective: Insulin therapy is associated with weight gain in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Several peptides are implicated in appetite control. We evaluated the effects of insulin-induced improved glycaemic control on leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin, neuropeptide Y (NPY) levels and patient characteristics.

Effect of various treatments on leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin and neuropeptide Y in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Introduction: Several peptides are involved in the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure, among which are leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin and neuropeptide Y (NPY). These peptides may be implicated in the obesity seen in the majority of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Areas Covered: The present review considers: i) the role of leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin and NPY in patients with T2DM, and, ii) the effect of insulin as well as oral hypoglycemic, antihypertensive, hypolipidemic, antiobesity and antiplatelet agents on these peptides in patients with T2DM.

Evaluation of use of proton pump inhibitors in Greece.

Introduction: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely used for acid-related gastric diseases. However, several national studies reported increasing use of PPIs for yet unlicensed indications.

Aim: The aim of our study was to evaluate the extent of PPIs prescription in a Greek tertiary hospital, as well as the adherence to licensed indications according to the Greek National Drug Organization.

The effect of folic acid supplementation on carotid intima-media thickness in patients with cardiovascular risk: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Introduction: Observational studies have suggested a causal relationship between hyperhomocysteinemia and cardiovascular complications such as stroke and ischemic heart disease. The Homocysteine Lowering Trialists' Collaboration has shown that daily administration of folic acid can significantly decrease homocysteine levels up to 25%. Aim of this study was to investigate the effect of daily supplementation of folic acid (5 mg) on IMT after 18 months of treatment in patients with at least one cardiovascular risk factor.

Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy secondary to bronchial adenocarcinoma and coexisting pulmonary tuberculosis: a case report.

A 44-year-old man presented with painful swelling of wrists and ankles, severe pain at both tibiae, clubbing of fingers and toes and arthritis in wrist and ankle joints. The chest roentgenogram showed consolidation of the right lower lobe, whereas plain roentgenograms revealed solid periosteal reaction at both tibiae. CT and bronchoscopy confirmed the presence of adenocarcinoma of the right lower lobe.

Homocysteine and carotid intima-media thickness in ischemic stroke patients are not correlated.

Introduction: Hyperhomocysteinemia has been linked to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by numerous authors. Whether this association is causal or not remains uncertain. The aim of the study was to investigate the association of hyperhomocysteinemia with the degree of carotid atherosclerosis in stroke patients.

Is there a beneficial effect of folic acid on carotid intima-media thickness?

In a recent article by Fernandez-Miranda et al., it was shown that daily administration of 2.5 mg of folate did not significantly alter carotid-intima media thickness (IMT) in patients with coronary heart disease in respect to coronary patients who did not receive folate, although there was indeed a net reduction of IMT in the former group.

Diabetes mellitus and cerebrovascular disease: which are the actual data?

Cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diabetes mellitus (DM) represents an independent risk factor for CeVD. The aim of the present review is to describe the epidemiology of CeVD in patients with DM and to explain how DM and diabetic autonomic neuropathy can increase the risk of CeVD.

Public health and potential complications of novel fashion accessories: an unusual foreign body in the upper gastrointestinal tract of an adolescent.

Various foreign bodies (FB) may be ingested. Most of them harmlessly pass through the anus but sharp or pointed ones are likely to cause complications. Although FB's ingestion is commonly seen by the emergency room personnel, a case of an ingested tongue-ring in the stomach of a female adolescent has not been reported.

Metabolic effects of rosiglitazone and metformin in Greek patients with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the comparative effects of rosiglitazone and metformin on metabolic parameters in recently diagnosed type 2 Greek diabetic patients. A total of 41 drug-naive individuals, with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes, were randomized in 3 groups: DIET, diet alone; ROSI, diet plus rosiglitazone; and MET, diet plus metformin. Anthropometric indexes, blood pressure, hematological and biochemical parameters were estimated at baseline and after 18 weeks of treatment.

Impact of autonomic neuropathy on left ventricular function in normotensive type 1 diabetic patients: a tissue Doppler echocardiographic study.

Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is one of the most serious complications of diabetes and has been weakly linked with left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction. Previous studies that explored this association either suffer from inadequate definition of CAN or have mainly used conventional Doppler or nuclear techniques to investigate LV diastolic function. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) has evolved as a new quantitative tool for the assessment of cardiac systolic function, diastolic function, and the hemodynamics of LV filling.

Incidence and etiology of acute non-malignant upper gastrointestinal bleeding in northern Greece.

Aim: To evaluate the incidence and etiology of acute non-malignant upper gastrointestinal bleeding (ANMUGIB) in northern Greece due to increased use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including low-dose aspirin (L-A), exposure and geographical variability of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) seroprevalence.

Methods: A retrospective study of 110 patients admitted for hematemesis or melena during a 6-month period. All patients had undergone a gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy during hospitalization.

Portal hypertension caused by acute cytomegalovirus infection with liver involvement in an immunocompetent patient.

Primary infection by cytomegalovirus in immunocompetent patients is usually unapparent. We report a case of severe acute cytomegalovirus infection in a young immunocompetent male with pulmonary and hepatic involvement and portal hypertension who recovered without specific antiviral therapy with complete resolution of sonographic signs of portal hypertension after 6 months.

Prevalence of symptomatic knee, hand, and hip osteoarthritis in Greece. The ESORDIG study.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of symptomatic knee, hand, and hip osteoarthritis (OA) in the general adult population of Greece.

Methods: This cross-sectional population based study was conducted on the total adult population of 7 communities (8547 subjects) and on 2100 out of 5686 randomly selected subjects in an additional 2 communities. Sixteen rheumatologists visited the target population at their homes; an interview based on a standardized questionnaire was conducted and clinical evaluation and laboratory investigations were done, when necessary.

Early diastolic impairment of diabetic heart: the significance of right ventricle.

Background: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction represents the earliest preclinical manifestation of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Right ventricular function has not been studied in depth yet in diabetic patients, although the right ventricle has an important contribution to the overall cardiac function. This study was designed to assess diastolic and systolic ventricular function in both ventricles, in patients with type 1 diabetes, free from coronary artery disease and hypertension.

Effect of quinapril or losartan alone and in combination on left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions in asymptomatic patients with diabetic autonomic neuropathy.

Objective: To investigate the effect of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition (ACE-I) or angiotensin receptor blockade (ARB), and their combination, on both diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN) and left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in asymptomatic patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).

Materials And Methods: Sixty-two patients (34 women) with long-term DM (24 with Type 1) and DAN, aged 51.7+/-13.

Candidal overgrowth in diabetic patients: potential predisposing factors.

This study was designed to investigate the potential factors that influence the prevalence of the oral carriage of Candida species in patients with type II diabetes mellitus. One hundred and twenty-eight diabetic patients (68 males and 60 females, mean age 54 +/- 7 years) were sequentially enrolled along with 84 (44 males and 40 females mean age 52 +/- 8 years) healthy subjects. Samples were obtained by swabbing the oral mucosa of all participants.