The severity of menopausal symptoms is associated with diabetes, and cardiometabolic risk factors in middle-aged women.

Background: Ovarian senescence is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. We aimed to evaluate the association between menopausal symptoms and cardiometabolic risk factors in a cohort of apparently healthy middle-aged women.

Methods: The cohort included 2793 peri- and postmenopausal women not on menopausal hormone therapy.

Climacteric symptoms, age, and sense of coherence are associated with sexual function scores in women after menopause.

Background: Postmenopausal sexual function presupposes the integration of hormonal, neural, and vascular interactions and is subject to optimal crosstalk among psychological, interpersonal, cultural, and environmental factors. Sense of coherence (SOC) reflects a person's ability to cope with stressors and may influence the occurrence of menopausal symptoms and sexual dysfunction.

Aim: To investigate the association of severity of climacteric symptoms, cardiometabolic risk factors, and SOC with sexual function in postmenopausal women.

The Cognitive Approach to Bioethical Issues in Perinatal Care in Greece.

Background And Aim: Current practice in prenatal diagnosis becomes challenging with new bioethics issues emerging constantly during daily clinical routine. Although fetal interventions are driven by a motivation to improve the health of the fetus, progress in fetal therapies raises issues of maternal autonomy. The objective of this article is to assess bioethics in prenatal diagnosis in Greece as well as bioethics education.

Quality assessment of the detailed anomaly ultrasound scan.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess the quality of the views in the detailed anomaly ultrasound scan and examine the parameters that influence it.

Methods: Prospective study on singleton pregnancies examined at 20-24 weeks. Detailed views of all fetal organs were classified by the examiner as optimal/suboptimal.

Molecular Characterization of the NLRC4 Expression in Relation to Interleukin-18 Levels.

Background: Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a pleiotropic cytokine centrally involved in the cytokine cascade with complex immunomodulatory functions in innate and acquired immunity. Circulating IL-18 concentrations are associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular events, and diverse inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.

Methods And Results: To identify causal variants affecting circulating IL-18 concentrations, we applied various omics and molecular biology approaches.