The state of emergency medicine in Greece: at critical momentum.

Greece is a parliamentary republic in southeastern Europe populated by over 10 million permanent residents: 9 million reside on the mainland, with almost 4 million in the greater Athens area. The remaining 1 million populate the over 1200 Greek islands. In addition, more than 160,000 asylum-seekers reached Greece in 2022, and more than 25 million tourists have visited Greece in the last two years.

Detecting Stroke at the Emergency Department by a Point of Care Device: A Multicenter Feasibility Study.

Purpose: To evaluate if the Strokefinder MD 100 by Medfield Diagnostics AB can be used as a point of care device in overcrowded Emergency Departments (ED).

Patients And Methods: We used the strokefinder MD 100 by Medfield Diagnostics AB in two Greek National Health System (NHS) Hospitals Emergency Departments. Our research protocol was approved by local scientific and ethics committees.

Immunohistochemical study of the angiogenetic network of VEGF, HIF1α, VEGFR-2 and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in human breast cancer.

Background: The role of Nitric Oxide (NO) in angiogenesis has not been fully clarified yet. A dual role for NO, either inductive or inhibitory, has been proposed on the basis of different effects that high or low concentrations of NO may exert on the angiogenic process. Additionally, it has been referred that NO may induce VEGF production, while VEGF may induce NO production via up-regulation of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), the two pathways being reverse.

Pilot implementation of a technologically advanced system for the optimization of pre-hospital, trauma patient care.

Background: Cooperation between medical informatics, wireless communication and pre-hospital emergency services is essential for the optimal pre-hospital patient treatment. The use of technological innovations improves medical care in the pre-hospital setting with regard to the organization of an integrated center, which coordinates all parties involved for the patient's best interest.

Methods: A dispatch center was developed in the city of Patras, in southwestern Greece, equipped with a Geographic Information System (GIS), which immediately points out the location of emergency vehicles (EVs) on a digital map depicting the city plan.

Bone mass decreases in morbidly obese women after long limb-biliopancreatic diversion and marked weight loss without secondary hyperparathyroidism. A physiological adaptation to weight loss?

Objective: To investigate the effect of marked weight loss after long limb-biliopancreatic diversion (BPD-LL) on bone mass and serum calcium, 25-OH-vitamin D, and PTH levels in relation to calcium supplementation.

Background Data: BPD is the most effective type of bariatric surgery, but it is followed by bone mass loss, mainly attributed to calcium and vitamin D malabsorption leading to secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Methods: Two groups, each consisting of 26 healthy, morbidly obese, premenopausal women, underwent BPD-LL.

The effect of preoperative chemoradiotherapy on lymph node harvest after total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer.

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate whether preoperative chemoradiotherapy reduces the number of lymph nodes harvested after total mesorectal excision of rectal cancer.

Methods: From January 1995 to December 2007, 168 consecutive patients with rectal cancer underwent total mesorectal excision in the Department of Surgical Oncology at the University of Crete. The patients were divided into three groups (Group A, no chemoradiotherapy; Group B, short course of chemoradiotherapy; Group C, long course of chemoradiotherapy).

Anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection for rectal cancer: facts, obscurity, and fiction.

The subject of anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection (LAR) for rectal cancer remains controversial. Risk factors have been discussed in several studies but the findings are often inconclusive. This review evaluates these studies and separates the known risk factors into those that are well documented, those that are obsolete, and those that require further research.

Sealants after axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer: good intentions but bad results.

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of 2 surgical sealants on postsurgical drainage and lymphocele formation after axillary surgery for breast cancer.

Methods: This was a prospective, randomized study. Seventy-seven consecutive patients with breast cancer were included and randomized into a control group (18F vacuum drain) and 2 study groups (18F vacuum drain plus COSEAL or BioGlue).

Towards quality control in rectal cancer surgery: a preliminary Greek experience.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the introduction of a colorectal unit on provided services for patients with rectal cancer.

Methods: The colorectal unit in our department was initiated in January 2004. A dedicated database was used to retrieve data from 127 consecutive patients who were operated on electively from March 1995 to December 2005.

Predictors of in-hospital mortality of trauma patients injured in vehicle accidents.

Objectives: Identification and assessment of predictive factors of in-hospital mortality of trauma patients injured in vehicle accidents.

Methods: We reviewed the Trauma Registry data of Herakleion University Hospital, a level I trauma center in Crete, Greece. All 730 consecutive, adult motor-vehicle trauma patients admitted to our hospital from 1997 to 2000 were included in the study.

Expression of TNF-superfamily members BAFF and APRIL in breast cancer: immunohistochemical study in 52 invasive ductal breast carcinomas.

Background: Recent studies suggest an association between chronic inflammation, modulating the tissue microenvironment, and tumor biology. Tumor environment consists of tumor, stromal and endothelial cells and infiltrating macrophages, T lymphocytes, and dendritic cells, producing an array of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors, accounting for a complex cell interaction and regulation of differentiation, activation, function and survival of tumor and surrounding cells, responsible for tumor progression and spreading or induction of antitumor immune responses and rejection. Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) family members (19 ligands and 29 receptors) represent a pleiotropic family of agents, related to a plethora of cellular events from proliferation and differentiation to apoptosis and tumor reduction.

Erythropoietin and its receptor in breast cancer: correlation with steroid receptors and outcome.

Autocrine/paracrine erythropoietin (EPO) action, promoting cell survival and mediated by its receptor (EPOR) in various solid tumors, including breast carcinoma, questions about the prognostic and therapeutic interest of this system. The expression of EPO/EPOR is steroid dependent in some tissues; however, a clear relationship of EPO/EPOR and steroid receptors in breast cancer has not been established thus far. Recently, the field of steroid receptors has expanded, including rapid effects mediated by membrane-associated receptors, regulating cell survival or apoptosis.

Increased incidence of papillary thyroid cancer among total thyroidectomies in Crete.

Objective: To investigate the increased incidence of papillary thyroid cancer as found in specimens of total thyroidectomies and potential correlation with etiological factors.

Study Design And Setting: A retrospective study on patients who underwent total thyroidectomy, from 1990 to 2004, in an academic tertiary referral medical center. Patients' records were placed in a database, which included medical condition, history, and demographics.

Acute cholecystitis in high-risk patients: percutaneous cholecystostomy vs conservative treatment.

Our objective was to compare the effectiveness of percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) vs conservative treatment (CO) in high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis. The study was randomized and comprised 123 high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis. All patients fulfilled the ultrasonographic criteria of acute inflammation and had an APACHE II score > or =12.