The role of abdominal muscle training in combination with pelvic floor muscle training to treat female urinary incontinence - a pilot 12-week study.

Introduction: Current literature is inconclusive as to whether transversus abdominis (TrA) training can provide an additional benefit to pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training in female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). We designed a study to investigate the effect of PFM and TrA training on incontinence parameters.

Material And Methods: 60 females with SUI were randomised to PFM training alone or PFM plus TrA training.

Assessment of De-Escalation of Empirical Antimicrobial Therapy in Medical Wards with Recognized Prevalence of Multi-Drug-Resistant Pathogens: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study in Non-ICU Patients with Microbiologically Documented Infection.

Antimicrobial resistance poses a major threat to human health worldwide and the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs), including antimicrobial de-escalation (ADE), is a multifaceted tool for minimizing unnecessary or inappropriate antibiotic exposure. This was a prospective observational study of 142 non-Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients with microbiologically documented infection who were initially administered empirical antimicrobial therapy and admitted to the medical wards of 6 tertiary-care hospitals in Greece from January 2017 to December 2018. Patients were divided into two groups, the ADE and non-ADE group, based on whether ADE was applied or not, respectively.

Attendance in a Neonatal Follow-Up Program before and in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Prospective-Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: Attendance to neonatal follow-up programs presents a significant factor associated with positive long-term outcomes of high-risk infants. Strategies to maximize participation benefit not only future interventions' effectiveness but also healthcare systems and society. While a number of studies have focused on attrition or loss to follow-up, no studies have focused on the contributive risk factors to abstaining from neonatal follow-up programs specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mid-vastus approach induces milder short-term effects on postural control compared to parapatellar approach in total knee arthroplasty.

Background: Mid-Vastus and Medial Parapatellar techniques are used for total knee arthroplasty. Their short-term effects within the first month after surgery are yet unexplored. The purpose of this study was to compare Mid-Vastus and Medial Parapatellar effects on knee strength and balance control, at 5 days, 2 weeks and one month after surgery.

Epidermal Tumors Arising on Donor Sites From Autologous Skin Grafts: A Systematic Review.

Common complications of skin grafting used to cover cutaneous defects include bleeding, infection, pain, and graft failure. Epidermal tumor development on graft donor sites in the postoperative period has been reported. We performed a systematic search of the literature for cases of epidermal tumors arising on skin graft donor sites in patients undergoing autologous skin graft surgery.

Bilateral Ureteral Obstruction in Children With Ulcerative Colitis and Oliguria: When and Why?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an inflammatory clinical entity with many extraintestinal symptoms, including urinary tract manifestations. However, the bilateral ureteral obstruction is extremely rare. We report a case of bilateral ureteral obstruction in a 12-year-old male patient with ulcerative colitis (UC).

[Long-term oncological outcomes after radical prostatectomy in a non-university teaching hospital].

Background: The evaluation of oncological outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP) is a major component of quality control in prostate cancer (PCa) centres.

Objectives: To evaluate the oncological outcomes after RP in a non-university teaching hospital and compare them with other high-volume PCa centres.

Material Und Methods: This study included 1,161 patients after RP who were divided into two risk groups.

The use of minimum common data set in the development of the Greek Fragility Hip Fracture Registry in the Greek health care setting: the first year of its pilot implementation.

Unlabelled: The first Fragility Hip Fracture Registry has been established in Greece. The in-hospital length of stay was 10.8 days and was significantly influenced by the delayed surgical fixation.

Piriformis preserving posterior approach STAR for primary and primary complex total hip arthroplasty: Excellent safety and efficacy in a single blinded prospective single surgeon cohort of 522 patients with a mean follow-up of 2 years.

Introduction: STAR (Superior Transverse Anatomic Reconstruction), a piriformis-preserving posterior approach, has not been extensively studied. Our study aimed to assess the STAR approach's safety and efficacy by recording postoperative complication rates and measuring implantation accuracy in a single surgeon prospective cohort with a mean follow-up of two years.

Methods: The study involved 522 patients with elective primary or complex primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) performed by a senior surgeon using the STAR approach between 2019 and 2023.

Evaluating Malnutrition Practices and Mother's Education on Children Failure to Thrive Symptoms Using Entropy-Weight and TOPSIS Method.

Background/objectives: Failure to thrive (FTT) is mostly caused by insufficient consumption of nutrient-rich food, recurrent infections like diarrhea and intestinal worms, substandard caregiving practices, and limited availability of health and other vital services. Furthermore, there was a correlation between the educational level of mothers and the occurrence of FTT in children aged 6-12 months. Thus, the objective of the current research is twofold: (i) to investigate other factors related to FTT and (ii) to evaluate the impact of them on FTT in Sub-Saharan African countries and their urban areas.

Skin Microvascular Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Using Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis and Association with Carotid Intima-Media Thickness.

It is established that diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by increased cardiovascular risk associated with subclinical atherosclerosis as well as microvascular alterations. Laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) is an innovative, non-invasive method for assessing skin microvascular function. We sought to assess skin microvascular function in patients with type 2 DM and matched controls.

The Impact of Laparoscopic Surgery on Fertility Outcomes in Patients with Minimal/Mild Endometriosis.

Minimal/mild endometriosis (MME) is independently associated with reduced fecundity rates. In this review article, we discuss the role of laparoscopic surgery in enhancing the fertility outcomes of patients with MME. Laparoscopic management of MME enhances fecundity and increases the chances of spontaneous conception in appropriately selected cases.

Platelet-Rich Therapies in Hernia Repair: A Comprehensive Review of the Impact of Platelet Concentrates on Mesh Integration in Hernia Management.

Mesh-augmented hernia repair is the gold standard in abdominal wall and hiatal/diaphragmatic hernia management and ranks among the most common procedures performed by general surgeons. However, it is associated with a series of drawbacks, including recurrence, mesh infection, and adhesion formation. To address these weaknesses, numerous biomaterials have been investigated for mesh coating.

Prospective Randomized Study on the Use of Sentinel Node Biopsy for High-risk Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Head and Neck.

Background: The use of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is not yet clearly documented, especially for the head and neck area, due to its rich and cross-branching lymphatic system. We present the first prospective randomized study on the use of SLNB in high-risk CSCCs of the head and neck.

Methods: Seventy-six patients with high-risk CSCCs of the head and neck were randomly divided into two groups: A (n = 38) and B (n = 38).

The Association of MMP-2, MMP-9, and MMP-13 Gene Polymorphisms With Knee Osteoarthritis in the Greek Population.

Introduction Primary knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial degenerative joint disorder characterized by articular cartilage degradation. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been reported to play a vital role in OA pathogenesis, significantly contributing to extracellular matrix (ECM) catabolism. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of MMP-2 -1575G/A (rs243866), MMP-9 836A/G (rs17576), and MMP-13 -77A/G (rs2252070) gene polymorphisms with knee OA in the Greek population.