The impact of economic crisis on mortality due to mental health illnesses.

Background: The financial crisis affected several aspects of health. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of the crisis on mortality of mental illnesses in Greece and the socioeconomic determinants of mortality trends.

Methods: Mortality data of 2000-16 were analyzed and sex-and-age-standardized death rates (SDRs) were calculated.

Did Economic Crisis Affect Mortality Due to Infectious Diseases? Trends of Infectious Diseases Mortality in Greece Before and After Economic Crisis.

Introduction Economic crisis and the restrictive policies applied in Greece and other countries raise questions about whether financial crises may affect the declining trend of infectious diseases. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of the economic crisis on mortality due to infectious diseases in Greece and its possible correlation with socio-economic variables affected by the crisis.  Methods Data including all deaths due to infectious diseases in Greece during 2001-2016 were analyzed.

Economic Crisis Impact and Social Determinants of Perinatal Outcomes and Infant Mortality in Greece.

(1) Background: To explore the effects of the 2008 economic crisis on maternal, perinatal and infant mortality in Greece and the socio-economic determinants associated with them; (2) Methods: The annual rates of stillbirth (SBR), perinatal mortality (PMR), infant mortality (IMR), neonatal mortality (NNMR), post-neonatal mortality (PNMR), low birth weight (LBW), and maternal mortality (MMR) were calculated for the years 2000-2016. Average Annual Percent Changes (AAPC) were calculated by the period before and after 2008. The expected rates of 2009-2016 and the observed-to-expected rate ratios (RR) were calculated.

Vaccination practices and influenza in professional football players in Greece.

Background: There is limited data on vaccination practices for professional footballers globally.

Aims: To record vaccination practices employed by medical staff of individual football teams of the Super League Greece, and absenteeism of footballers related to influenza illness.

Methods: A brief questionnaire was distributed to chief medical officers (CMOs) of the sixteen teams of the Super League Greece.

Use of amenable mortality indicators to evaluate the impact of financial crisis on health system performance in Greece.

Background: Greece experienced the largest reduction in its health care budget of any European country during the economic crisis of 2008-15. Here, we test the hypothesis that budget reductions worsened health system performance in Greece, using the concept of Amenable Mortality to capture deaths which should not occur in the presence of effective and timely health care.

Methods: Amenable mortality was calculated from national mortality statistics, using age-standardized deaths from 34 conditions amenable to medical intervention in Greece during 2000-16, with further analysis by sex, age, region and cause.

Greek National E-Prescribing System: Preliminary Results of a Tool for Rationalizing Pharmaceutical Use and Cost.

Background: In Greece, due to the ongoing economic crisis a number of measures aiming at rationalising expenditure implemented. A new e-prescribing system, under a unified healthcare fund was the main pillar of these reforms focus on monitoring and auditing prescribing patterns.

Objective: Main objective of this study was to document the Greek experience with the new national e-prescribing system.

Blood donation knowledge and attitudes among undergraduate health science students: A cross-sectional study.

Awareness towards blood donation can be empowered by health professionals' role-modelling. We aimed to assess knowledge and attitudes among Greek undergraduate medical laboratory students. A questionnaire was distributed to 330 students (response rate: 88.

Comparison of PD BLADE with fat saturation (FS), PD FS and T2 3D DESS with water excitation (WE) in detecting articular knee cartilage defects.

The purpose of this study, is to compare the sequences: 1) proton density (PD) BLADE (BLADE is a PROPELLER-equivalent implementation of the Siemens Medical System) with fat saturation (FS) coronal (COR), 2) PD FS COR, 3) multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) with 3mm slice thickness and 4) multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) with 1.5mm slice thickness, both from the T2 3D-double-echo steady state (DESS) with water excitation (WE) sagittal (SAG), regarding their abilities to identify changes in the femorotibial condyle cartilage in knee MRI examinations. Thirty three consecutive patients with osteoarthritis (18 females, 15 males; mean age 56years, range 37-71years), who had been routinely scanned for knee examination using the previously mentioned image acquisition techniques, participated in the study.

Regional differences in mortality in Greece (1984-2004): the case of Thrace.

Background: Mortality differences at national level can generate hypothesis on possible causal association that could be further investigated. The aim of the present study was to identify regions with high mortality rates in Greece.

Methods: Age adjusted specific mortality rates by gender were calculated in each of the 10 regions of Greece during the period 1984-2004.

Distribution and frequency of beta-thalassemia mutations in northwestern and central Greece.

Objectives: Beta-Thalassemia is a common autosomal recessive disorder resulting from over 200 different mutations of the beta-globin genes. The spectrum of beta-thalassemia mutations in Greece has been previously described in the population of the capital city of Athens, or in beta-thalassemia patients having transfusion therapy. The aim of the present study was to identify the distribution of the most common beta-thalassemia mutations in the population of northwestern and central Greece.

Lipid peroxidation after acute renal ischemia and reperfusion in rats: the effect of trimetazidine.

Lipid peroxidation is a critical pathway of reactive oxygen species inducing tissue injury in postischemic acute renal failure. In order to evaluate the effect of renal ischemia reperfusion on kidneys, renal tissue malondialdehyde (MDA, nmol/g wet weight) concentration was measured in 29 male Wistar rats subjected to a midline abdominal incision and 60 min occlusion of the left renal artery. A right nephrectomy was performed at the beginning of the ischemic period.

Lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defense mechanisms in rat renal tissue after daunorubicin administration.

Redox cycling compounds such as daunorubicin have been assumed to be toxic because they stimulate reactive oxygen-mediated lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, both DT-diaphorase and glutathione (GSH) have been regarded as protective cellular compounds against daunorubicin cardiotoxicity, but their role in daunorubicin nephrotoxicity remains unclear. To investigate this issue, 10 adult Wistar rats were twice injected with a single dose of 20 mg/kg body weight daunorubicin into the tail vein; the interval between injections was 48 h.

Trends in nutrition in Greece: use of international data to monitor national developments.

With the purpose of studying trends in nutrition in Greece, data from the Food Balance Sheets about the calorie and nutrient intakes were analysed. During the period 1961-86, the average per capita consumption of calories increased by 26.6%, while the calories obtained exclusively from animal sources increased by 106%.