Analysis of combinatory effects of free weight resistance training and a high-protein diet on body composition and strength capacity in postmenopausal women - A 12-week randomized controlled trial.

Background: Menopause has a significant impact on the endocrine system of middle-aged women, resulting in a loss of skeletal muscle mass (SMM), changes in fat mass (FM) and a reduction in strength capacity. Resistance training (RT) and a high-protein diet (HPD) are effective methods for maintaining or increasing SMM. This study aims to determine the effects of HPD and RT on body composition, muscle thickness and strength capacity in postmenopausal women.

Incidence of primary hepatitis C infection among people who inject drugs during 2012-2020 in Athens, Greece.

One of the World Health Organization's targets for the 2030 viral hepatitis elimination strategy is to reduce new hepatitis C (HCV) infections. In Athens, Greece, people who inject drugs (PWID) have a high HCV prevalence, with increasing trends since the 2000s. This analysis aims to assess primary HCV incidence among PWID during 2012-2020.

HERACLIS-HDV cohort for the factors of underdiagnosis and prevalence of hepatitis D virus infection in HBsAg-positive patients.

Background And Aims: Hepatitis D virus (HDV) underdiagnosis remains common. We assessed the HDV screening and prevalence rates in HBsAg-positive patients seen at tertiary liver centres throughout Greece as well as factors affecting HDV diagnosis.

Methods: All adult HBsAg-positive patients seen within the last 5 years were included.

Improvement in sperm quality by oral antioxidant supplementation in infertile men with varicocele who have not undergone surgical repair: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess whether oral antioxidant supplementation improves sperm quality in men with infertility and varicocele (VCL) who have not undergone surgical repair. In men with infertility and VCL who had not undergone surgical repair oral antioxidant supplementation significantly increased sperm concentration (WMD +5.86 × 10 /ml 95% CI: +1.

Comparative Utility of Transient and 2D Shear Wave Elastography for the Assessment of Liver Fibrosis in Clinical Practice.

The aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility and correlation of liver stiffness measurements (LSM) between 2D-shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) and transient elastography (TE) in patients with chronic liver disease. Over 4 months, 421 patients with chronic liver disease of any cause underwent LSM by 2D-SWE and TE (M and/or XL probe) and controlled attenuation parameter at the same visit. LSM was not feasible by TE in 16 (3.

Assessment of dietary habits and the adequacy of dietary intake of patients with cirrhosis-the KIRRHOS study.

Background & Aims: Undernutrition is widely prevalent in patients with cirrhosis and affects prognosis. Given the lack of data regarding the dietary intake (DI) and habits of patients with cirrhosis, the aim of the present study was to evaluate them by assessing diet's adequacy compared to the new guidelines, and the association of DI with nutritional status indicators.

Methods: One hundred and eighty-seven patients (57.

The effect of statins on semen parameters in patients with hypercholesterolemia: A systematic review.

Background: Statins constitute the mainstay of treatment in patients with hypercholesterolemia. However, their effect on semen parameters is unknown.

Objective: This study aimed to systematically review the best available evidence regarding the effect of statins on ejaculate volume and sperm concentration, motility, morphology, or vitality.

How frequent is severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome after GnRH agonist triggering in high-risk women? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the incidence of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) after triggering of final oocyte maturation with gonadotrophin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) in high-risk women. The pooled incidence of severe OHSS in high-risk women who did not receive any form of luteal phase support was 0% (95% CI 0.0 to 0.

Systemic therapy for chromophobe renal cell carcinoma: A systematic review.

Background: Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC) subtype accounts for almost 5% of total RCC cases. It carries the best prognosis among the rest of RCC types. However, patients with metastatic chRCC disease have worse prognosis than patients with advanced clear cell RCC.

KardiaSoft Architecture - A Software Supporting Diagnosis and Therapy Monitoring of Heart Failure Patients Exploiting Saliva Biomarkers.

The aim of this work is to present the architecture of the KardiaSoft software, a clinical decision support tool allowing the healthcare professionals to monitor patients with heart failure by providing useful information and suggestions in terms of the estimation of the presence of heart failure (heart failure diagnosis), stratification-patient profiling, long term patient condition evaluation and therapy response monitoring. KardiaSoft is based on predictive modeling techniques that analyze data that correspond to four saliva biomarkers, measured by a point-of-care device, along with other patient's data. The KardiaSoft is designed based on the results of a user requirements elicitation process.

Simulation of a Cellular Automaton with Markov Chains: Applications in Self-Organized Dynamical Systems.

over the past years, technology has allowed information technology to contemplate complex events as well as complex semantic features to predict what types of "thoughts" are being conceptualized. The introduction of the neuro-robotics field allows a mix of different disciplines to inter-collate and produce actual results that could be considered outputs of a science-fiction novel 20 twenty years ago. In the present work, we attempted to present an example of how an automaton can move in an environment with obstacles, by regulating its behavior so as to allow a decision based on rewards and penalties.

Validation of cutoffs for skeletal muscle mass index based on computed tomography analysis against dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in patients with cirrhosis: the KIRRHOS study.

Background: Accurate assessments of muscle mass in patients with cirrhosis are necessary in clinical practice. Computed tomography (CT) of the upper abdomen has been proposed as a useful method for quantifying muscle mass. Recently, Carey et al developed specific cutoffs for muscle wasting based on the skeletal muscle index at the L3 vertebra (L3-SMI) for cirrhotic patients.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of eight screening tools in detecting risk of malnutrition in cirrhotic patients: the KIRRHOS study.

Malnutrition risk screening in cirrhotic patients is crucial, as poor nutritional status negatively affects disease prognosis and survival. Given that a variety of malnutrition screening tools is usually used in routine clinical practice, the effectiveness of eight screening tools in detecting malnutrition risk in cirrhotic patients was sought. A total of 170 patients (57·1 % male, 59·4 (sd 10·5) years, 50·6 % decompensated ones) with cirrhosis of various aetiologies were enrolled.

Predictive factors of Hyperemesis Gravidarum: A systematic review.

Purpose: Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is the main cause of hospitalization during the first trimester of pregnancy. Although it has been associated with serious complications, little is known about its predictive factors. The aim of this systematic review was to search for and critically appraise the studies that investigate the predictive factors for HG.

Point-of-Care Testing Devices for Heart Failure Analyzing Blood and Saliva Samples.

Heart failure (HF) is the most rapidly growing cardiovascular condition with an estimated prevalence of >37.7 million individuals globally. HF is associated with increased mortality and morbidity and confers a substantial burden, in terms of cost and quality of life, for the individuals and the healthcare systems, highlighting thus the need for early and accurate diagnosis of HF.

KardiaTool: An Integrated POC Solution for Non-invasive Diagnosis and Therapy Monitoring of Heart Failure Patients.

The aim of this work is to present KardiaTool platform, an integrated Point of Care (POC) solution for noninvasive diagnosis and therapy monitoring of Heart Failure (HF) patients. The KardiaTool platform consists of two components, KardiaPOC and KardiaSoft. KardiaPOC is an easy to use portable device with a disposable Lab-on-Chip (LOC) for the rapid, accurate, non-invasive and simultaneous quantitative assessment of four HF related biomarkers, from saliva samples.

Improvements in clinical characteristics of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, after an intervention based on the Mediterranean lifestyle: a randomised controlled clinical trial.

Lifestyle interventions remain the cornerstone therapy for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This randomised controlled single-blind clinical trial investigated the effect of Mediterranean diet (MD) or Mediterranean lifestyle, along with weight loss, in NAFLD patients. In all, sixty-three overweight/obese patients (50 (sd 11) years, BMI=31·8 (sd 4·5) kg/m2, 68 % men) with ultrasonography-proven NAFLD (and elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and/or γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) levels) were randomised to the following groups: (A) control group (CG), (B) Mediterranean diet group (MDG) or (C) Mediterranean lifestyle group (MLG).

Occult hepatitis B virus infection in Greek patients with congenital bleeding disorders.

Occult Hepatitis B Infection (OBI) is a form of chronic HBV infection characterized by low level HBV DNA, without detectable HBV surface antigen (HBsAg). OBI is frequently associated with the presence of anti-HBc and in some cases also with anti-HBs. Patients, who formerly received non-inactivated factor concentrates, can potentially be considered at high risk for OBI, especially since these patients usually are HIV or HCV co-infected.

A "healthy diet-optimal sleep" lifestyle pattern is inversely associated with liver stiffness and insulin resistance in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Several lifestyle habits have been described as risk factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Given that both healthy and unhealthy habits tend to cluster, the aim of this study was to identify lifestyle patterns and explore their potential associations with clinical characteristics of individuals with NAFLD. One hundred and thirty-six consecutive patients with ultrasound-proven NAFLD were included.

Adherence to follow-up and treatment recommendations in Greek and immigrant patients with chronic hepatitis B in Greece.

Background/aim: Immigrants have multiple barriers to access to health care systems. We evaluated the adherence to follow-up and treatment recommendations of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) Greek and immigrant patients.

Methods: In total, 1001 consecutive adult patients with chronic HBV infection who visited our clinics for the first time between 2002 and 2011 were included.

Associations Between Lifestyle Characteristics and the Presence of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Case-Control Study.

Background: Dietary and physical activity (PA) habits have been suggested as important factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Published data are mainly focused on the effect of either diet or exercise, whereas data on other aspects like sleep remain sparse. The aim of this study was to explore potential associations between dietary intake, PA, and sleeping habits, and the presence of NAFLD.

Reliability and applicability of two-dimensional shear-wave elastography for the evaluation of liver stiffness.

Background/aim: Two-dimensional shear-wave elastography (2D-SWE) is a new elastographic technique that is increasingly being used across several indications. We assessed the reliability and applicability of 2D-SWE in patients with various chronic liver diseases and attempted to identify parameters potentially affecting liver stiffness.

Methods: We included all patients with chronic liver disease who underwent 2D-SWE examination over a 15-month period.

Common ABCB1 polymorphisms in Greek patients with chronic hepatitis C infection: A comparison with hyperlipidemic patients and the general population.

Background: Hepatitis C virus infectivity and replication efficiency appears to be dependent on the lipid content and organization of the plasma membrane of the host cell, as well as of the intracellular membranous web. As there is increasing awareness of a role played by the efflux pump ABCB1 (p-glycoprotein, P-gp) in lipid homeostasis, its function could be a determinant of chronic HCV infection. The aim of the present study was to examine and compare the distribution of common ABCB1 genotypes in patients with chronic HCV infection (n=168), hyperlipidemic patients (n=168) and a control group (n=173), all from Greece.

Rare Skeletal Complications in the Setting of Primary Hyperparathyroidism.

Parathyroid carcinoma represents an extremely rare neoplasm with diverse clinical manifestations which vary from asymptomatic patients to severe complications of hypercalcemia or parathyrotoxicosis while skeletal involvement is rather common. Herein we aimed at presenting a unique case of a young patient with rare aggressive skeletal complications of parathyroid cancer that initially were misdiagnosed. Ossification of the cervical ligamentum flavum and skull tumor illustrates erosive bonny lesions of hyperparathyroidism that in association with previous medical history of recurrent nephrolithiasis and biochemical findings guide the diagnosis.