Molecular screening of cat and dog ectoparasites for the presence of Bartonella spp. in Attica, Greece.

The purpose of this study was the molecular detection of Bartonella spp. in fleas and ticks parasitizing cats and dogs from 39 locations in Attica, Greece. One hundred and forty five ectoparasites (104 fleas and 41 ticks) from 92 cats and 53 dogs were investigated individually using PCRs targeting the 16S-23S ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer (ITS) and the citrate synthase (gltA) genetic loci.

Visceral leishmaniasis and COVID-19 coinfection - A case report.

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the globe, it will undoubtedly cross paths with long endemic infectious diseases in different areas. Interactions between SARS-CoV2 and well-known pathogens will likely give rise to unfamiliar clinical presentations, depending on complex and as yet unknown immunological interactions. We present a case of coinfection with COVI19 and visceral leishmaniasis and discuss recent reports regarding coexistence of SARS-CoV2 and spp.

Antibody Response Following a Two-Dose mRNA Vaccination Regimen, in Health Care Workers of a Tertiary Hospital in Athens, Greece.

We analyzed the antibody responses of 564 hospital workers in Athens, Greece, after vaccination with two doses of the BNT162b2 (Comirnaty; BioNTech and Pfizer) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. A greater antibody increase was observed in women, younger age groups, previously infected individuals and personnel working in COVID-19 clinics. Notably, individuals with a prior COVID-19 infection mounted a significantly higher antibody titer following the first dose than the rest of the population; the same was true for those working in COVID-19 clinics, even without history of previous infection.

Effects of Visceralising Leishmania on the Spleen, Liver, and Bone Marrow: A Pathophysiological Perspective.

The leishmaniases constitute a group of parasitic diseases caused by species of the protozoan genus . In humans it can present different clinical manifestations and are usually classified as cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral (VL). Although the full range of parasite-host interactions remains unclear, recent advances are improving our comprehension of VL pathophysiology.

A case of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis in a patient with chronic schistosomiasis.

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) is a debilitating condition, mainly associated with long-term peritoneal dialysis, where up-regulation of intra-abdominal inflammatory pathways leads to a fibrocollagenous peritoneal membrane formation resembling a cocoon. EPS causes intestinal encapsulation leading to bowel obstruction and dilatation. Chronic schistosomiasis is characterized by dysregulation of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines.

Bioenergetic Profiling of the Differentiating Human MDS Myeloid Lineage with Low and High Bone Marrow Blast Counts.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) encompass a very heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell differentiation disorders with malignant potential and an elusive pathobiology. Given the central role of metabolism in effective differentiation, we performed an untargeted metabolomic analysis of differentiating myeloid lineage cells from MDS bone marrow aspirates that exhibited <5% (G1) or ≥5% (G2) blasts, in order to delineate its role in MDS severity and malignant potential. Bone marrow aspirates were collected from 14 previously untreated MDS patients (G1, = 10 and G2, = 4) and age matched controls ( = 5).

An efficient and novel technology for the extraction of parasite genomic DNA from whole blood or culture.

The aim of this study was to assess pathogen DNA extraction with a new spin column-based method (DNA-XT). DNA from either whole-blood samples spiked with or  amastigote culture was extracted with DNA-XT and compared with that produced by a commercial extraction kit (DNeasy). Eluates from large and small sample volumes were assessed by PCR and spectroscopy.

Atlas posterior arch and vertebral artery's groove variants: a classification, morphometric study, clinical and surgical implications.

Background: The third part of the vertebral artery (VA) coursing in vertebral artery groove (VAG) may be injured during posterior craniocervical junction approaches.

Objective: The current study classifies all possible variants of the posterior arch (PA) of the atlas vertebra (C), focusing on VAG and calculates their incidence. PA and VAG morphometry is studied in correlation with gender and age.

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: in pursuit of an effective treatment.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) has gained global notoriety as a critically important nosocomial pathogen. It mostly affects debilitated patients, causing pneumonia and bloodstream infections with high mortality rates. Difficulties in treating CRAB infections stem from a formidable resistance profile that leaves available only a few antibiotics of uncertain efficacy such as colistin and tigecycline.

A systematic classification of the vertebral artery variable origin: clinical and surgical implications.

Several congenital anomalies regarding the right (RVA) and left (LVA) vertebral artery have been described. The current paper aims to perform a systematic literature review of the variable vertebral artery (VA) origin from the aortic arch (AOA) and its branches. The incidence of these variants and the ensuing AOA branching pattern are highlighted.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteraemia in patients with hematologic malignancies: risk factors, treatment and outcome.

Our aims were to identify factors associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) bloodstream infection (BSI) in patients with hematological malignancies and evaluate the outcome of the affected patients. Consecutive patients with hematological malignancies who developed PA BSI were identified. Subsequently, two case-control studies were performed to evaluate the risk factors (i) for PA BSI and (ii) for carbapenem resistant (CR) PA BSI.

Concurrent Autochthonous Malaria Caused by Plasmodium vivax in Father and Son in Greece.

We report the case of a 12-year-old child who was admitted to our Department, with 7 days' history of high fever and splenomegaly. His father had similar symptoms starting on the same day. A rapid test and microscopy for malaria yielded a positive result for Plasmodium vivax Antimalarial therapy was initiated.

Malaria in Europe: emerging threat or minor nuisance?

Malaria was eradicated from Europe in the 1970s through a combination of insecticide spraying, drug therapy and environmental engineering. Since then, it has been mostly imported into the continent by international travellers and immigrants from endemic regions. Despite the substantial number of imported malaria cases and the documented presence of suitable anopheline vectors, autochthonous transmission has not been widely observed in Europe, probably as a result of early diagnosis and treatment, afforded by efficient healthcare systems.

Lord Byron's death: a case of late malarial relapse?

The study examines the pathological circumstances related to Byron's death, the primary issue being malaria. Lord Byron died during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire, in Messolonghi on 19 April 1824. Byron's medical profile consists of recurrent onsets of fever, which gave rise to the issue of malaria relapses.

Assessment of antibody responses in local and immigrant residents of areas with autochthonous malaria transmission in Greece.

Greece has been officially malaria free since 1974. However, from 2009 to 2012, several locally acquired, cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria were detected, in immigrants and in Greek citizens. In this study, the antibody (Ab) response of Greeks and immigrants with documented malaria was initially assessed, followed by an Ab screening of Greeks and immigrant residents of local transmission areas.

Immune responses in children infected with the pinworm Enterobius vermicularis in central Greece.

Previous studies have suggested an immunomodulatory and even protective role for Enterobius vermicularis, the least pathogenic human intestinal helminth. Here, in a study using haematological and serological parameters, we tested a total of 215 children from central Greece, with a mean age of 8.39, of whom 105 (48.

Treating infections caused by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) have spread worldwide, causing serious infections with increasing frequency. CPE are resistant to almost all available antibiotics, complicating therapy and limiting treatment options. Mortality rates associated with CPE infections are unacceptably high, indicating that the current therapeutic approaches are inadequate and must be revised.

West Nile virus state of the art report of MALWEST Project.

During the last three years Greece is experiencing the emergence of West Nile virus (WNV) epidemics. Within this framework, an integrated surveillance and control programme (MALWEST project) with thirteen associate partners was launched aiming to investigate the disease and suggest appropriate interventions. One out of seven work packages of the project is dedicated to the State of the Art report for WNV.

The history of the Greek Anti-Malaria League and the influence of the Italian School of Malariology.

In 1905, a group of eminent Greek physicians led by Professor of Hygiene and Microbiology Constantinos Savvas and the pediatrician Dr. Ioannis Kardamatis founded the Greek Anti-Malaria League. The League assumed a role that the State would not, and for the next 25 years organized the country's anti-malaria campaign.

Inflammatory bowel disease exacerbation associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection.

Background: Epstein-Barr virus infection is associated with inflammatory bowel disease, but its role as a pathogenetic or exacerbating factor remains unclear.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between Epstein-Barr virus infection and inflammatory bowel disease, particularly in regard to exacerbation of disease activity.

Design: This was a nonrandomized crosssectional study in subgroups of patients with inflammatory bowel disease compared with a control group with noninflammatory disease.

Application of zirconium-iridium permanent modifier for the simultaneous determination of lead, cadmium, arsenic, and nickel in atmospheric particulate matter by multi-element electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.

A novel and robust method for the simultaneous determination of lead, cadmium, arsenic, and nickel in atmospheric particulate matter by multi-element electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry was developed, using zirconium-iridium coating as permanent modifier (140 μg Zr and 4 μg Ir). After 300 atomization cycles, it was necessary to add 2 μg of Ir. Due to the varying concentrations of Pb in atmospheric particulate matter, lead was monitored at two wavelengths, at the less sensitive line of 261.