Pneumococcal serotypes in adults hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia in Greece using urinary antigen detection tests: the EGNATIA study, November 2017 - April 2019.

Greece introduced a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) into the infant national immunization program in 2010 (3 + 1 schedule until June 2019). Since 2015, PCV13 has been recommended for adults aged 19-64 years with comorbidities and adults ≥65 years sequentially with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23). We examined pneumococcal serotype distribution among Greek adults aged ≥19 years hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) during November 2017-April 2019.

Correction: Ntakolia et al. An Explainable Machine Learning Approach for COVID-19's Impact on Mood States of Children and Adolescents during the First Lockdown in Greece. 2022, , 149.

was initially included as an author in the original publication [...

Prevalence of Intrauterine Adhesions after Myomectomy: A Prospective Multicenter Observational Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate intrauterine adhesion formation after laparoscopic and laparotomic myomectomy.

Design: This is a prospective, multicenter, observational study (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04030273).

An Explainable Machine Learning Approach for COVID-19's Impact on Mood States of Children and Adolescents during the First Lockdown in Greece.

The global spread of COVID-19 led the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic on 11 March 2020. To decelerate this spread, countries have taken strict measures that have affected the lifestyles and economies. Various studies have focused on the identification of COVID-19's impact on the mental health of children and adolescents via traditional statistical approaches.

Advanced ankylosing spondylitis: a multisite, multimodality densitometric analysis for investigation of bone loss in the axial and appendicular skeleton.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate if there is a bias in bone mineral density measurements among major densitometric techniques across multiple skeletal sites.

Methods: In 25 advanced ankylosing spondylitis patients, bone mineral density measurements were acquired in the lumbar spine, the hip, and the forearm.

Results: In total, 60% of patients had a bone mineral density Z-score of -2 or less at one or more skeletal sites.

Tissue dissection with saline injection: application in thyroid surgery.

Postoperative hypoparathyroidism is a thyroidectomy complication. The effect of this complication cannot be accurately quantified. The incidence of hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy has high variability in the literature, between 7 and 37%.

Uterine rupture during pregnancy: The URIDA (uterine rupture international data acquisition) study.

Objective: To describe the characteristics and peripartum outcomes of patients diagnosed with uterine rupture (UR) by an observational cohort retrospective study on 270 patients.

Methods: Demographic information, surgical history, symptoms, and postoperative outcome of women and neonates after UR were collected in a large database. The statistical analysis searched for correlation between UR, previous uterine interventions, fibroids, and the successive perinatal outcomes in women with previous UR.

Laparoscopic Intracapsular Myomectomy in Women 40 Years Old and Over with Symptomatic Uterine Fibroids. A Pilot Study.

Authors evaluated the impact of laparoscopic intracapsular myomectomy (LIM) in women 40 years of age and over with desire of future fertility compared with medical management of symptomatic fibroids, by a prospective cohort study in University affiliated Hospitals. This study includes a cohort of women 40 years of age and older with symptomatic intramural fibroids with desire of future fertility. Women with symptomatic fibroid uterus were offered to undergo LIM or medical management.

Painful left bundle branch block: A syndrome with a particular clinical significance.

The development of angina in the setting of new-onset left bundle branch block (LBBB) that resolves at the same time with the disappearance of LBBB, without coexistent myocardial ischemia, denotes the painful LBBB syndrome. In this illustrative case report we describe a young male patient with painful LBBB syndrome. The LBBB was rate-dependent occurring during exercise and the patient was successfully treated with bisoprolol.

Gut Microbiota in Patients with Morbid Obesity Before and After Bariatric Surgery: a Ten-Year Review Study (2009-2019).

The changes in the composition and function of gut microbiota affect the metabolic functions (which are mediated by microbial effects) in patients with obesity, resulting in significant physiological regulation in these patients. Most of the studies emphasize that the Western-style diet (high fat and low vegetable consumption) leads to significant changes in the intestinal microbiome in individuals with metabolic syndrome. A deeper understanding of the profiles of gut microbes will contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies for the management of metabolic syndrome and other metabolic diseases and related disorders.

Adherence to the National Guidelines for Follow-Up Protocol in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Greece: The GLANCE Study.

Introduction: Physician adherence, or lack therefore, to diabetes care and follow-up guidelines may be linked to the rates of achieving suboptimal glycaemic, blood pressure and lipid targets in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this cross-sectional study we evaluated physician adherence to the patient follow-up protocol (PFP) of the 2017 Hellenic Diabetes Association (HDA) guidelines and also assessed glycated haemoglobin (HbA), blood pressure and lipid control achievement rates in the routine care setting in Greece.

Methods: Eligible subjects were adults with T2DM receiving oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHAs) for ≥ 1 year who had ≥ 2 HbA measurements in the previous year and an HbA target < 7%.

Coronary microcirculation and left ventricular diastolic function: comparison between patients on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

Background: End-stage renal disease is considered to influence coronary microcirculation and left ventricular (LV) diastolic function. We investigated whether differences exist in LV diastolic function indices and coronary flow reserve (CFR) between patients on hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD).

Methods: A complete transthoracic echocardiographic study was performed on 21 HD and 22 PD patients and LV diastolic function was evaluated.

"Missing" acute coronary syndrome hospitalizations during the COVID-19 era in Greece: Medical care avoidance combined with a true reduction in incidence?

Background: Reports from countries severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic suggest a decline in acute coronary syndrome (ACS)-related hospitalizations. The generalizability of this observation on ACS admissions and possible related causes in countries with low COVID-19 incidence are not known.

Hypothesis: ACS admissions were reduced in a country spared by COVID-19.

The increasing incidence of immigration and information-seeking behaviour of medical doctors in north-western Greece.

Introduction: Brain drain, an increasing phenomenon, can be defined as the international transfer of resources, in the form of a highly educated workforce, from developing to more developed countries. The tendency for migration leads to the activation of informational behaviour. The aim of this study was to search for the main causes of emigration of Greek medical doctors while their country suffers from an economic crisis.

Pet tracers for vulnerable plaque imaging.

Most of the acute ischemic events, such as acute coronary syndromes and stroke, are attributed to vulnerable plaques. These lesions have common histological and pathophysiological features, including inflammatory cell infiltration, neo-angiogenesis, remodelling, haemorrhage predisposition, thin fibrous cap, large lipid core, and micro-calcifications. Early detection of the presence of a plaque prone to rupture could be life-saving for the patient; however, vulnerable plaques usually cause non-haemodynamically significant stenosis, and anatomical imaging techniques often underestimate, or may not even detect, these lesions.

Adrenergic and Cholinergic Uterine Innervation and the Impact on Reproduction in Aged Women.

In recent years, the development of Assisted Reproductive Technique, the egg and embryo donation changed substantially the role of the uterus in recent years. It provided a higher chance for a pregnancy even in women over 45 years or post-menopause. In fact, the number of aged patients and in peri/post-menopause in pregnancy is nowadays increasing, but it increases obstetrical and neonatal related problems.

The Biological Impact of Ulipristal Acetate on Cellular Networks Regulating Uterine Leiomyoma Growth.

Uterine Fibroids (UFs), or leiomyomas, represent the most frequent pelvic tumor in reproductive-aged women. Although of benign origin, UFs decrease fertility and cause significant reproductive dysfunctions. Compared to normal myometrium, UFs are characterized by a clinical and molecular heterogeneity as demonstrated by the presence of multiple genetic alterations and altered signaling pathways.

Takotsubo Syndrome during Haemodialysis.

Takotsubo syndrome (TS) is typically characterized by transient (reversible) systolic dysfunction of the apical and mid segments of the left ventricle (LV), usually without obstruction of coronary arteries, in postmenopausal women after a stressful event. Usually, patients may experience symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, and rarely syncope or cardiogenic shock. There are many theories about pathophysiology of TS.