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.

Effects of buflomedil on skin blood flow in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without overt micro- or macroangiopathy.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of buflomedil on the peripheral microcirculation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) without overt micro- or macroangiopathy.

Methods: Twenty-three patients with T2DM were randomly assigned to receive buflomedil 600 mg/day for six months (N.=12) or no medication (N.

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.

Stroke and conditions that mimic it: a protocol secures a safe early recognition.

Objective: Certain disorders may be falsely diagnosed as stroke. We examined the efficacy of the diagnostic protocol that is followed in our stroke unit and was designed in order to early differentiate more efficiently between stroke and conditions that mimic it. METHODS-PATIENTS: Three hundred sixty-two elderly patients (196 male, 166 female with average age 74.

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.

Effect of aldose reductase inhibition on heart rate variability in patients with severe or moderate diabetic autonomic neuropathy.

Patients with diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN) have an increased cardiovascular mortality rate compared with diabetic patients without DAN. Heart rate variability (HRV) time and frequency domain indices are strong predictors of malignant arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. This prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study analysed the long-term effect of an aldose reductase inhibitor, tolrestat, on HRV time and frequency domain variables in 45 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and DAN.

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.

Inflammatory cytokines in insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: An association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and inflammation has been described in several studies. The aim of this study was to search for the presence of low-grade inflammation in a special group of insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes, and to investigate a possible correlation between inflammation and obesity, glucose homeostasis and insulin requirement (IU insulin/kg body weight, BW).

Methods: We studied 85 subjects with type 2 diabetes that were receiving insulin treatment (group A) and 32 receiving sulfonylurea treatment (group B), and 57 subjects without diabetes (group C).

Parathyroid crisis as first manifestation of primary hyperparathyroidism.

We report the case of a 61-year-old woman who suffered a parathyroid crisis due to a parathyroid adenoma. The patient presented with the typical clinical symptoms of hypercalcemia. Ca(+2) and PTH were markedly increased.

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.