Long-term effect of continuous positive airway pressure therapy on inflammation markers of patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Study Objectives: Several lines of evidence suggest immune system derangement in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) patients. However, no data exist on the long-term effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on systemic immunity. Hence, we sought to evaluate this effect on various immunological parameters in OSAS patients.

Markers of glycemic control and insulin resistance in non-diabetic patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome: does adherence to CPAP treatment improve glycemic control?

Background And Aim: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome (OSAHS) is associated with glucose dysmetabolism and insulin resistance, therefore the amelioration of breathing disturbances during sleep can allegedly modify the levels of markers of glucose regulation and insulin resistance, such as glycated hemoglobin, fasting glucose, insulin and HOMA(IR). The aim of this study was to explore the association between these parameters and sleep characteristics in non-diabetic OSAHS patients, as well as the effect of 6 months CPAP therapy on these markers, according to adherence to CPAP treatment.

Methods: Euglycemic patients (n=56; mean age+/-SD: 46.

Noise levels in Greek hospitals.

Unlabelled: High noise levels have been recognized as a serious problem in hospital environments during both night- and daytime, and have been associated with a negative impact on patients' health status. The aim of this study was to measure and detect differences in noise levels between an ICU and a pulmonary ward in two general hospitals in Greece.

Methods: Noise measurements were recorded in one-hour intervals using the Cirrus CR: 245/R2 Environmental Noise Analyzer in a 30-bed pulmonary ward and in a 16-bed general ICU for seven consecutive days.

Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis as a cause of new onset of seizures in a patient with non-small cell lung carcinoma: a case report.

Introduction: The etiology of seizure disorders in lung cancer patients is broad and includes some rather rare causes of seizures which can sometimes be overlooked by physicians. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis is a rather rare cause of seizures in lung cancer patients and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of seizure disorders in this population.

Case Presentation: This case report describes the new onset of seizures in a 64-year-old male patient receiving chemotherapy for a diagnosed stage IV non-small cell lung carcinoma.

Quality of life and social-economic characteristics of greek male patients on long-term oxygen therapy.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) profoundly impacts patients' functional status, especially in the advanced stages, when long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) is implemented.

Objective: To determine the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with COPD and using LTOT, and assess the relationship of socioeconomic characteristics and pulmonary function test results to HRQOL scores.

Methods: We studied a group of 85 patients with COPD and hypoxemia who were on LTOT, and a control group of 48 patients with stable COPD but without hypoxemia.

Successful management of acute thromboembolic disease complicated with heparin induced thrombocytopenia type II (HIT II): a case series.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia type II (HIT II) is a rare immune-mediated complication of heparin. The diagnosis of HIT is considered in patients exposed to heparin, presenting with thrombocytopenia and thrombosis.We present two cases with massive pulmonary embolism and HIT, successfully treated with the administration of fondaparinux, an alternative anticoagulant, combined with the insertion of an inferior vena cava filter for the prevention of new thromboembolic events.

Hydrocarbon pneumonitis following liquid paraffin aspiration during a fire-eating performance: a case report.

Introduction: Hydrocarbon pneumonitis is an acute, intense pneumonitis resulting from aspiration of volatile hydrocarbon compounds with low viscosity and surface tension, most of which are members of the paraffin, naphthene and aromatic classes.

Case Presentation: Six hours after participating in a party for teenagers, a 16-year-old boy developed dyspnea, cough, a fever (39 degrees C) and chest pain. A chest radiograph showed infiltration in the right middle lobe.

Sleep-disordered breathing and quality of life of railway drivers in Greece.

Background: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and especially obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are associated with daytime sleepiness and an increased risk for motor vehicle crashes. Previous studies have assessed the prevalence of OSA among professional drivers, but no study so far has focused on railway drivers. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of SDB among Greek railway drivers, and correlate it with daytime sleepiness, quality of life, and symptoms.

Health related quality of life in Greek patients with sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome treated with continuous positive airway pressure.

Sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) causes serious symptoms and may induce patients' quality of life impairment. The aim of this study was to assess health related quality of life (HRQOL) in Greek patients with various severity SAHS before and after CPAP implementation in comparison with conservative therapy and Greek population normative data. In 180 patients (152 males, 28 females) with SAHS (apnea-hypopnea index, AHI 56 +/- 25.

Effect of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on serum cardiovascular risk factors in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome.

Background: Serum levels of circulating markers associated with cardiovascular morbidity are elevated in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). These factors are studied in patients mainly before the application of therapy with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and the effects of CPAP treatment on them have not been thoroughly studied. Therefore, the aim of the study was to examine the effect of compliance to CPAP therapy on these factors.

Eosinophilic pleural effusion, peripheral eosinophilia, pleural thickening, and hepatosplenomegaly in sarcoidosis.

In this atypical case of sarcoidosis with an unusual combination of clinical and laboratory findings, a 32-year-old male presented with a 3-month history of thoracic pain complicated with dyspnea. Laboratory tests, chest radiography, and CT scans of the chest and abdomen revealed eosinophilia of pleural effusion and blood, pleural thickening, hepatosplenomegaly, and bronchiolitis obliterans. In cases such as this, in which pleural fluid eosinophilia is accompanied by peripheral eosinophilia and splenohepatomegaly, underlying malignancies such as Hodgkin lymphoma should be ruled out.

Acute respiratory failure and sleep-disordered breathing in Arnold-Chiari malformation.

We report on the case of a 32-year-old man who was admitted after an episode of acute respiratory failure. Clinical and laboratory investigations revealed nocturnal hypoventilation with predominately obstructive sleep apneas accompanied by lower cranial nerve palsies, cerebellar and mild pyramidal signs. Magnetic resonance imaging disclosed Arnold-Chiari type I malformation with syringomyelia.

Factors influencing patient survival and renal function outcome in pulmonary-renal syndrome associated with ANCA (+) vasculitis: a single-center experience.

Small vessel vasculitides, usually associated with positive antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA(+)) can cause pulmonary-renal syndrome (PRS). Data from 22 patients, (19 males), aged 28-76 yrs (mean 55), with PRS were analyzed retrospectively. Renal function was estimated at presentation, 1 month after treatment initiation and at the end of follow-up (mean 4.

Greek version of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale.

Background: The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaire is widely used for the assessment of daytime sleepiness in patients with sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS). The aim of this study was to develop a Greek version of ESS, bearing in mind that language is a barrier for application in non-English speaking populations.

Methods: The forward and backward translation method by bilinguals was applied.

Prevalence of COPD in Greece.

Objectives: The prevalence of COPD in Greece is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and trends of COPD among adults in Greece.

Methods: This study involved 888 randomly identified adults (475 men and 413 women) aged > 35 years, and smokers of at least 100 cigarettes, in a population-based, multiregional, cross-sectional descriptive design.