Evaluation of EU air quality standards through modeling and the FAIRMODE benchmarking methodology.

We evaluate air quality modeling over the East Mediterranean using the benchmarking methodology developed in the framework of the Forum for Air Quality Modelling in Europe (FAIRMODE). FAIRMODE aims to provide a harmonized approach of model evaluation for regulatory purposes. We test the methodology by assessing the performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) against ground-based air quality observations over Cyprus, a member state of the European Union.

Outpatient laser treatment of primary pilonidal disease : the PiLaT technique.

Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of the minimally invasive technique pilonidal disease laser treatment (PiLaT) in treating primary (non-recurrent) pilonidal disease in an outpatient setting under local anaesthesia.

Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on consecutive patients suffering from primary pilonidal disease that were treated at Iasi Private Medical Center, Ioannina, Greece, between April 2015 and December 2016, using a 1.470 nm diode laser (BioLitec, Germany) emitting energy through a radial optic fiber that was inserted in the cyst and accompanying sinus tracts.

Spontaneous biloma due to an intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: An extremely rare case report with long term survival and literature review.

Cholangiocarcinomas are tumors that arise from the ductal epithelium of the intrahepatic or extra-hepatic bile ducts. Patients are usually asymptomatic or may present with weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite and abdominal pain (intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas) or jaundice (extra-hepatic cholangiocarcinomas). Subcapsular bile vessel rupture, due to intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, is an extremely rare clinical presentation, which is an emergent and potentially life-threatening complication.

Surgical management of hydatid liver disease.

Background: large retrospective clinical study describing the long-term experience of a single center in the surgical management of liver echinococcosis in an endemic area.

Methods: 232 patients were operated for liver hydatid disease between 1978 and 2012. Seventy-three patients (Group A) underwent a radical procedure (total pericystectomy or hepatectomy), while 145 (Group B) were treated with a more conservative method (partial cystectomy, with external drainage, omentoplasty or capitonnage) and 14 (Group C) received a combination of total and partial cystectomies.

Unusual locations of hydatid disease: a 33 year's experience analysis on 233 patients.

Hydatid disease is caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus and it is an endemic parasitic disease of the Mediterranean countries. Although the liver is the most involved organ by this disease, hydatidosis can be found anywhere in the human body. Rare forms of location may pose diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas.

Kinetics of circulating levels of miR-195, miR-155 and miR-21 in patients with breast cancer undergoing mastectomy.

Background: MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that negatively regulate the expression of the majority of proteins, mainly at the post-transcriptional level. Being stable in the circulation and resistant to storage handling, they are potentially promising biomarkers.

Materials And Methods: We measured RNA levels of three microRNAs with tumorigenic or angiogenic potential (miR-155, miR-195, and miR-21) in blood samples taken from patients with early breast cancer, both preoperatively and postoperatively.

Non-secreting benign glucagonoma diagnosed incidentally in a patient with refractory thrombocytopenic thrombotic purpura: report of a case.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare hematologic disorder, which may be idiopathic or secondary to a variety of diseases. However, there are very few reports of TTP in the context of pancreatic neoplasms. We report a case of relapsing TTP after initial treatment with plasmapheresis, corticosteroids, and rituximab, in a 59-year-old woman.

A case of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis presented shortly after renal transplantation.

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) is a rare but serious complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD), characterized by extensive intraperitoneal fibrosis and encasement of bowel loops. It typically associates with long-term PD and progressive loss of ultrafiltration. The management of EPS has evolved substantially from the original report of this entity and now includes immunosuppressive agents, antifibrotic agents, nutritional support, and surgical intervention.

Impact of breast cancer surgery on angiogenesis circulating biomarkers: a prospective longitudinal study.

Background: Debate about the potential effects that surgery might have on cancer cells dormancy and angiogenesis prompted us to investigate the impact of breast surgery on circulating angiogenesis modulating gene transcripts and proteins.

Methods: Blood samples from 10 female patients diagnosed with breast cancer and 6 with fibroadenoma were collected before surgery and post-operatively on days 3 and 7 (breast cancer patients only). A set of 84 angiogenesis-associated transcripts were assessed using quantitative PCR arrays, and circulating protein levels (vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), IL8 and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) were measured using ELISA in the same samples.

Acute chylous peritonitis due to acute pancreatitis.

We report a case of acute chylous ascites formation presenting as peritonitis (acute chylous peritonitis) in a patient suffering from acute pancreatitis due to hypertriglyceridemia and alcohol abuse. The development of chylous ascites is usually a chronic process mostly involving malignancy, trauma or surgery, and symptoms arise as a result of progressive abdominal distention. However, when accumulation of "chyle" occurs rapidly, the patient may present with signs of peritonitis.