Treatment of anterior corneal scarring, following DSAEK graft failure, with combined graft exchange and phototherapeutic keratectomy.

Background: To present a method, alternative to penetrating keratoplasty, for the restoration of impaired corneal clarity with anterior stromal scarring following long-standing corneal graft failure.

Case Presentation: A 48-year old female who had previously underwent Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) for the treatment of pseudophakic bullous keratopathy, presented with long-standing corneal oedema and anterior corneal scarring. A significant improvement in corrected distance visual acuity was demonstrated, as corneal clarity was restored following graft exchange and phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK).

Clinical factors affecting costs in patients receiving systemic antifungal therapy in intensive care units in Greece: Results from the ESTIMATOR study.

Unlabelled: Invasive fungal infections are common in intensive care units (ICUs) but there is a great variability in factors affecting costs of different antifungal treatment strategies in clinical practice. To determine factors affecting treatment cost in adult ICU patients with or without documented invasive fungal infection receiving systemic antifungal therapy (SAT) we have performed a prospective, multicentre, observational study enrolling patients receiving SAT in participating ICUs in Greece. During the study period, 155 patients received SAT at 14 participating ICUs: 37 (23.

Antiretrovirals, Fractures, and Osteonecrosis in a Large International HIV Cohort.

Background: Antiretrovirals (ARVs) affect bone density and turnover, but their effect on risk of fractures and osteonecrosis of the femoral head is less understood. We investigated if exposure to ARVs increases the risk of both bone outcomes.

Methods: EuroSIDA participants were followed to assess fractures and osteonecrosis.

Immunohistochemical Study of Vasculogenic Mimicry and Angiogenesis in Melanocytic Tumors of the Eye and the Periocular Area.

Background/aim: The ability of a tumor to grow requires a sufficient blood supply. Microvascular density is considered the standard for assessing the neovasculature. Tumor cell vasculogenic mimicry refers to the formation of tumor cell-lined vessels that contribute to tumor neovascularization.

Management goals for type 1 Gaucher disease: An expert consensus document from the European working group on Gaucher disease.

Gaucher Disease type 1 (GD1) is a lysosomal disorder that affects many systems. Therapy improves the principal manifestations of the condition and, as a consequence, many patients show a modified phenotype which reflects manifestations of their disease that are refractory to treatment. More generally, it is increasingly recognised that information as to how a patient feels and functions [obtained by patient- reported outcome measurements (PROMs)] is critical to any comprehensive evaluation of treatment.

Algorithmic design of a noise-resistant and efficient closed-loop deep brain stimulation system: A computational approach.

Advances in the field of closed-loop neuromodulation call for analysis and modeling approaches capable of confronting challenges related to the complex neuronal response to stimulation and the presence of strong internal and measurement noise in neural recordings. Here we elaborate on the algorithmic aspects of a noise-resistant closed-loop subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation system for advanced Parkinson's disease and treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder, ensuring remarkable performance in terms of both efficiency and selectivity of stimulation, as well as in terms of computational speed. First, we propose an efficient method drawn from dynamical systems theory, for the reliable assessment of significant nonlinear coupling between beta and high-frequency subthalamic neuronal activity, as a biomarker for feedback control.

Therapeutic Hypothermia in the ICU: The Nursing Aspect.

Clinical studies and experimental research have described therapeutic hypothermia for patients suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI), cardiac arrest, and neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. This procedure is implemented by intensive care unit (ICU)-trained nurses. The aim of the present study was to compare cold compresses/ ice packs, cooling blankets, and heat-exchange systems via intravascular catheters used in the ICU for therapeutic hypothermia from a nursing perspective with respect to ease of application, additional workload, ease of temperature monitoring, and effectiveness.

Comparison of Goldmann applanation tonometry and Pascal dynamic contour tonometry in relation to central corneal thickness and corneal curvature.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the influence of central corneal thickness (CCT) and corneal curvature in tonometry measurements taken by Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) and Pascal dynamic contour tonometry (DCT).

Methods: This was a prospective study of 185 eyes from 97 subjects, attending outpatient ophthalmology appointments, who underwent intraocular pressure measurements by GAT and Pascal DCT. CCT and corneal curvature were obtained using ultrasound pachymetry and Orbscan topography, respectively.

Peri-procedural Anticoagulation in Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: A Review.

Catheter ablation for rhythm control in atrial fibrillation has been recognized as an established treatment. Patients with atrial fibrillation suffer from an increased risk of thromboembolic events. Long-term stroke risk and mortality have been shown to be reduced after catheter ablation, still the procedure per se is associated with an additive peri-procedural thromboembolic risk.

Restrictions in the T-cell repertoire of chronic lymphocytic leukemia: high-throughput immunoprofiling supports selection by shared antigenic elements.

Immunoglobulin (IG) gene repertoire restrictions strongly support antigen selection in the pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Given the emerging multifarious interactions between CLL and bystander T cells, we sought to determine whether antigen(s) are also selecting T cells in CLL. We performed a large-scale, next-generation sequencing (NGS) study of the T-cell repertoire, focusing on major stereotyped subsets representing CLL subgroups with undisputed antigenic drive, but also included patients carrying non-subset IG rearrangements to seek for T-cell immunogenetic signatures ubiquitous in CLL.

Death receptor 5 (DR5) and a 5-gene apoptotic biomarker panel with significant differential diagnostic potential in colorectal cancer.

High expression of Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) has been related to colorectal cancer (CRC) progression, resistance to treatment and poor prognosis. TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) through its receptors DR4 (TRAIL-R1) and DR5 (TRAIL-R2) can selectively induce cancer cell apoptosis. The mRNA expression of DR4, DR5, c-IAP1, c-IAP2, XIAP and BIRC5/Survivin genes was examined in 100 paired (cancerous-normal) colorectal tissue specimens by real-time PCR, 50 of which were KRAS wild-type and 50 KRAS-mutant.

A retrospective study of azacitidine treatment in patients with intermediate-2 or high risk myelodysplastic syndromes in a real-world clinical setting in Greece.

For patients with intermediate-2 or high risk [according to the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS)] myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), azacitidine treatment offers hematologic improvement (HI) but also has the potential to modify the natural disease course. 'RETRO-AZA-MDS-001', a retrospective chart review study was conducted from February to November 2012 across 17 hematology hospital sites of Greece, aiming to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety profile of azacitidine in IPSS intermediate-2/high risk adult MDS patients in routine care. A total of 88 patients (median age 74.

The Correction of Aphakia Using Anterior Chamber Intraocular Lens.

Senile cataract is the leading cause of severe vision loss and blindness worldwide, affecting approximately 20 million people. Anterior chamber intraocular lens (AC IOLs) remain a surgical option for visual rehabilitation required after surgical extraction of the cataract lens. Relevant publications in the PUBMED database were searched for articles regarding the types, visual outcomes and the complications followed the surgical implantation of AC IOLs.

Current therapeutic options targeting bone metastasis in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is a major public health problem worldwide, still remaining the most common cancer among elder males in both Europe and USA, being responsible for approximately 30,000 deaths in USA in 2014. Nowadays, after decades of basic research, novel treatment options have emerged focusing on men suffering from metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer improving overall survival. It is also estimated that more than 90% of such patients develop bone metastasis, resulting in a significant increase in morbidity and mortality.

Comparison of Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant with Conventional Triamcinolone in Patients with Postoperative Cystoid Macular Edema.

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of the treatment with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide or dexamethasone intravitreal implant in patients with postoperative cystoid macular edema (PCME).

Materials And Methods: Thirty eyes of 29 patients with PCME were randomized into two groups: one group initially received an injection of 4 mg triamcinolone; retreatment after 3 months was dependent on functional and anatomic outcome in a PRN regimen. The second group received a single injection of the dexamethasone intravitreal implant (Ozurdex).

Medical care in free-beseiged Missolonghi (1822-1826). Johann Jacob Meyer and the first military hospital.

During the siege of Missolonghi by the Ottomans the conditions of hygiene living, clothing and feeding of the vast majority of enslaved Greeks could be assessed as deprived and miserable. The humid climate and geophysical environment favored the outbreak of epidemics that further darkened an already unfavorable situation of the fighters and their families. Necessarily, the priority was to meet the military and economic needs and secondarily tackling public health issues, health care and medicine - social welfare.

Ozurdex in age-related macular degeneration as adjunct to ranibizumab (The OARA Study).

Objective: To evaluate the utility of dexamethasone intravitreal implant (DXI; Ozurdex; Allergan, Irvine, Calif.) in combination with ranibizumab (Lucentis; Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland) versus ranibizumab monotherapy on visual acuity (VA) and anatomical outcomes in a neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) cohort.

Design: Multicentred, single-blinded, pilot randomized control trial.

Role of sonography in the diagnosis and treatment of a ganglion cyst compressing the lateral branch of deep peroneal nerve.

Selective compression neuropathy of the lateral branch of the deep peroneal nerve is rare. A 55-year-old woman with ankle instability and mild weakness of extension of the toes was examined with sonography (US), which revealed the presence of a ganglion cyst compressing selectively the lateral branch of the deep peroneal nerve. US-guided aspiration of the cyst resulted in nerve decompression and progressive resolution of symptoms.

A complicated case of primary hypophysitis with bilateral intracavernous carotid artery occlusion.

Unlabelled: Primary hypophysitis (PH) is a rare clinical entity characterized by inflammatory infiltration of the pituitary gland with various degrees of pituitary dysfunction.

Objective: To present a complicated case of aggressive PH with bilateral cavernous sinuses infiltration, successfully treated with azathioprine after failure of corticosteroid treatment.

Methods And Results: A 48-year-old woman presented with episodes of recurrent headache and progressively worsening muscle weakness.

Pituitary abscess: a case report and review of the literature.

Unlabelled: Pituitary abscess is a rare life-threating entity that is usually misdiagnosed as a pituitary tumor with a definite diagnosis only made postoperatively. Over the last several decades, advances in healthcare have led to a significant decrease in morbidity and mortality due to pituitary abscess. We report a case of a 34-year-old woman who was admitted to our department for investigation of a pituitary mass and with symptoms of pituitary dysfunction, headaches and impaired vision.

Renal replacement therapy in Europe: a summary of the 2013 ERA-EDTA Registry Annual Report with a focus on diabetes mellitus.

Background: This article provides a summary of the 2013 European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) Registry Annual Report (available at http://www.era-edta-reg.org), with a focus on patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) as the cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

Cystic lesions of the pancreas.

Different types of benign or malignant cystic lesions can be observed in the pancreas. Pancreatic cystic lesions are classified under pathology terms into simple retention cysts, pseudocysts and cystic neoplasms. Mucinous cystic neoplasm is a frequent type of cystic neoplasm and has a malignant potential.

Emerging therapies targeting castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Building on decades of research, the past few years have yielded a near expo-nential increase in treatment modalities for patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Individually, these improvements in overall survival may appear modest, however, nearly all of them have a distinct mechanism of action and the possibility of synergistic effects have yet to be established. The promise of a durable impact on the mortality from metastatic prostate cancer will likely stem from further elucidation of molecular pathways involved in prostate cancer, as well as defining the optimal sequence of treatment for patients with metastatic prostate cancer.