Publications by authors named "Kapetanakis A"

Objective: Despite the significant advances in healthcare, people living with HIV still face challenges that affect their quality of life (QoL), both in terms of their physical state as represented by frailty and of their illness perceptions (IP). The aim of this study was to unravel the associations between these constructs (QoL, frailty, IP).

Methods: This multicenter, cross-sectional study included 477 people living with HIV (93% male; median age = 43 years, IQR = 51.

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Background: It has been increasingly recognized that some people experience post-traumatic growth (PTG) as a result of struggling with cancer.

Objective: This systematic review aims to identify psychosocial interventions that might facilitate PTG in adults with cancer.

Methods: A search was conducted in PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and ProQuest up to 16 September 2022.

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In this retrospective international multicenter study, we describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and related disorders (small lymphocytic lymphoma and high-count monoclonal B lymphocytosis) infected by SARS-CoV-2, including the development of post-COVID condition. Data from 1540 patients with CLL infected by SARS-CoV-2 from January 2020 to May 2022 were included in the analysis and assigned to four phases based on cases disposition and SARS-CoV-2 variants emergence. Post-COVID condition was defined according to the WHO criteria.

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Article Synopsis
  • Frailty affects individuals living with HIV earlier than in those without HIV; this study in Greece aimed to determine its prevalence among this population and link frailty criteria to clinical data.
  • The study involved 477 HIV-positive participants, primarily men (93%), with a median age of 43; findings showed 62.1% were robust, 33.8% pre-frail, and 4.1% frail, highlighting weakness in grip strength as the most common frailty indicator.
  • The results emphasize the importance of a comprehensive care approach, as factors such as lower CD4 counts and psychiatric issues correlate with frailty, indicating varied healthcare needs for people living with HIV.
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Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may be more susceptible to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to age, disease, and treatment-related immunosuppression. We aimed to assess risk factors of outcome and elucidate the impact of CLL-directed treatments on the course of COVID-19. We conducted a retrospective, international study, collectively including 941 patients with CLL and confirmed COVID-19.

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Adhesion to wet and dynamic surfaces is vital for many biomedical applications. However, the development of effective tissue adhesives has been challenged by the required combination of properties, which includes mechanical similarity to the native tissue, high adhesion to wet surfaces, hemostatic properties, biodegradability, high biocompatibility, and ease of use. In this study, we report a novel bioinspired design with bioionic liquid (BIL) conjugated polymers to engineer multifunctional highly sticky, biodegradable, biocompatible, and hemostatic adhesives.

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Significant advances in the synthesis of polypeptides by N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) polymerisation over the last decade have enabled the design of advanced polypeptide architectures such as star-shaped polypeptides. These materials combine the functionality offered by amino acids with the flexibility of creating stable nanoparticles with adjustable cargo space for therapeutic delivery. This review highlights recent advances in the synthesis of star polypeptides by NCA polymerisation followed by a critical review of the applications of this class of polymer in the delivery of therapeutic agents.

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Xenon, a monoatomic gas with very high tissue solubility, is a non-competitive inhibitor of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor, has antiapoptotic effects and is neuroprotective following hypoxic ischaemic injury in animals. Xenon may be expected to have anticonvulsant effects through glutamate receptor blockade, but this has not previously been demonstrated clinically. We examined seizure activity on the real time and amplitude integrated EEG records of 14 full-term infants with perinatal asphyxial encephalopathy treated within 12 h of birth with 30% inhaled xenon for 24 h combined with 72 h of moderate systemic hypothermia.

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Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger (NHE) blockade attenuates the detrimental consequences of ischaemia and reperfusion in myocardium and brain in adult and neonatal animal studies. Our aim was to use magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) biomarkers and immunohistochemistry to investigate the cerebral effects of the NHE inhibitor, methyl isobutyl amiloride (MIA) given after severe perinatal asphyxia in the piglet. Eighteen male piglets (aged < 24 h) underwent transient global cerebral hypoxia-ischaemia and were randomized to (i) saline placebo; or (ii) 3 mg/kg intravenous MIA administered 10 min post-insult and 8 hourly thereafter.

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Therapeutic hypothermia is standard care for infants with moderate to severe encephalopathy. (1) H MRS thermometry (MRSt) measures regional brain absolute temperature using the temperature-dependent water chemical shift. This study evaluates the clinical feasibility of MRSt in human neonates, and correlates white matter (WM) and thalamus (Thal) MRSt with conventional rectal temperature (Trectal ) measurement.

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Background: Non-variceal upper gastro-intestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) is a common and challenging emergency situation. We aimed to describe the characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with NVUGIB in Greece.

Methods: ENERGIB (NCT00797641) was an epidemiological survey conducted in 7 European countries including Greece.

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Objective: Additional treatments for therapeutic hypothermia are required to maximize neuroprotection for perinatal asphyxial encephalopathy. We assessed neuroprotective effects of combining inhaled xenon with therapeutic hypothermia after transient cerebral hypoxia-ischemia in a piglet model of perinatal asphyxia using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) biomarkers supported by immunohistochemistry.

Methods: Thirty-six newborn piglets were randomized (all groups n = 9), with intervention from 2 to 26 hours, to: (1) normothermia; (2) normothermia + 24 hours 50% inhaled xenon; (3) 24 hours hypothermia (33.

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Objective: To determine the feasibility of passive cooling to initiate therapeutic hypothermia before and during transport.

Methods: Consensus guidelines were developed for passive cooling at the referring hospital and on transport by the London Neonatal Transfer Service. These were evaluated in a prospective study.

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Purpose: To compare quantitative T2 relaxometry of cerebral white matter (WM) with qualitative assessment of conventional T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images, to assess the relationship between cerebral WM T2 and region-specific apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and to examine WM T2 regional variation in preterm infants at term.

Materials And Methods: The local ethical committee granted ethical permission for this study; informed parental consent was obtained for each infant. Sixty-two preterm infants born at less than 32 weeks gestation and nine control infants were examined at 1.

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Background: Therapeutic hypothermia, a safe and effective treatment for neonatal encephalopathy in an intensive care setting, is not available in low-resource settings. Aims/

Methods: To assess two low-tech, low-cost cooling devices for use in low-resource settings: (i) commercially available water bottles filled with tepid water (25 degrees C); (ii) a mattress made of phase changing material (PCM) with a melting point of 32 degrees C (PCM works as a heat buffer at this temperature). Eleven anaesthetised newborn piglets were studied following transient hypoxia-ischaemia.

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Background: The 2007 Cochrane review of therapeutic hypothermia for neonatal encephalopathy (NE) indicates a significant reduction in adverse outcome. UK National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines are awaited.

Objective: To benchmark current opinion and practice to inform future strategies for optimal knowledge transfer for therapeutic hypothermia.

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The objectives of this work were to portray the incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in central Greece and to define subsets at higher risk of poor outcome or death. Two hundred and sixty-four cases were recorded. The incidence was 116 per 100,000 per year (95% CI: 102-130).

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Background: In human colon, binding of the lectin Amaranthus caudatus has been considered to be a marker of cellular proliferation and malignant progression. We studied regional amaranthin binding in rat colon and correlated this with physiologic manipulations of proliferation.

Methods: Binding of amaranthin in segments of proximal and distal colon was studied in starved, refed, and control Wistar rats and was compared to tritiated thymidine labeling and proliferating cell nuclear-antigen expression.

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Endogenous markers of proliferating cells have increasingly supplanted the use of incubation of biopsy tissues in vitro with tritiated thymidine or with bromodeoxyuridine, thus avoiding the potential variation resulting from the incubation procedure. Antibodies to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) such as PC10 have been promoted as optimal for this purpose, although considerable variation in colonic proliferating cells with this antibody has been reported. We have compared the detection of colonic proliferating cells in normal mucosa and adenomata using the PC10 monoclonal antibody (mAb) to PCNA and the Mib-1 mAb to Ki-67 in formalin-fixed tissues using antigen retrieval solutions with microwaving.

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Background/aims: Although therapeutic endoscopy is regarded as the procedure of choice for bleeding ulcers, the disease mortality is barely altered. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of repeated therapeutic endoscopy in patients with bleeding ulcer.

Methods: From January 1990 to April 1995, 727 patients with bleeding ulcers were admitted to hospital under the care of one gastroenterologist who endoscoped every patient within 18 hours of admission.

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Background/aims: Solitary Juvenile Polyps (SJP) are quite common in preschool children, although they may occur at any age. It is not known whether the existence of a single juvenile polyp in a child predisposes to future development of new SJP or is related to colorectal neoplasia. The present study was designed to follow up young patients who had undergone polypectomy for SJP and their first degree relatives to elucidate the development of adenomatous polyps or colon cancer.

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Ten patients with unresectable liver secondaries from colorectal carcinoma were included in this study. All patients were treated with combined locoregional transarterial targeting immunostimulation and chemotherapy. After abdominal surgery for the introduction of an arterial catheter into the hepatic artery via the gastroduodenal artery, all patients survived the operation and their response to the treatment was satisfactory.

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A case control study exploring the role of diet and other biosocial factors in the aetiology of diverticulosis was undertaken in Athens, Greece, in 1981-1982. One hundred consecutive cases with radiologically confirmed diverticulosis and 110 control patients with fractures or other orthopaedic disorders were submitted to a structured interview, including frequency of consumption of about 80 food items. The main positive findings were, (i) the cases reported significantly less frequent consumption of vegetables, brown bread and, to a lesser extent, potatoes and fruits, and (ii) the cases reported significantly more frequent consumption of meat and, to a lesser extent, milk, and milk products.

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