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.

EULAR/PReS recommendations for the diagnosis and management of Still's disease, comprising systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis and adult-onset Still's disease.

Unlabelled: Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) and adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) are considered the same disease, but a common approach for diagnosis and management is still missing.

Methods: In May 2022, EULAR and PReS endorsed a proposal for a joint task force (TF) to develop recommendations for the diagnosis and management of sJIA and AOSD. The TF agreed during a first meeting to address four topics: similarity between sJIA and AOSD, diagnostic biomarkers, therapeutic targets and strategies and complications including macrophage activation syndrome (MAS).

Guidance on the assessment of learning outcomes for those designing procedures and projects - Report of an ETPLAS Working Group.

This document provides assessment criteria for evaluation of each of the Learning Outcomes of the Modules specified (in addition to the Core Modules) for those designing procedures and projects in the Education and Training Framework guidance document by the European Commission and endorsed by the Member States Competent Authorities. This Working Group was tasked to produce these criteria by the Education & Training Platform for Laboratory Animal Science, which was funded by the European Commission to this aim. The assessment criteria address knowledge and skills (including critical thinking) expected to be acquired during education and training of persons preparing to design research procedures and projects using animals under the scope of Directive 2010/63/EU.

Evaluation of the attributable fraction and burden of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers in Greece-the ORPHEAS study.

Background: Herein, we evaluated the attributable fraction (AF) of human papillomavirus (HPV)-mediated (HPV+) oropharyngeal carcinomas (OPCs) in Greece over a recent calendar period.

Patients And Methods: ORPHEAS, a retrospective, observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study with prospective recruitment, included adult patients with OPC in 2017-2022, each of them with a high-quality, treatment-naïve tumor specimen. The primary endpoint was the HPV-AF, defined as combined positivity for p16 (p16) overexpression and HPV DNA presence by central laboratory testing, among included patients.

Evaluation of Five Screening Tools in Detecting Physical Frailty in Cirrhosis and Their Prognostic Role.

: Physical frailty (PF) is a syndrome of decreased physical function and reserves, preventing patients from coping with stressful events. PF screening tools in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) can help evaluate the risk of complications and death. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of five screening tools in detecting PF and their ability to predict 18-month mortality in LC.

Selenium-Binding Protein 1 (SBP1): A New Putative Player of Stress Sensing in Plants.

Selenium-binding proteins (SBPs) represent a ubiquitous and conserved protein family with yet unclear biochemical and molecular functions. The importance of the human homolog has been extensively studied as it is implicated in many cancer types and other diseases. On the other hand, little is known regarding plant homologs.

Knowledge and attitudes of healthcare personnel about vaccination of migrant and refugee children and adolescents.

Background: The number of migrants to Greece has increased considerably the last decade. This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare personnel (HCP) toward vaccination of newly-arrived children and adolescents in the Aegean islands, a major port of entry of migrants and refugees to Europe.

Methods: The study was conducted from September 2020 to January 2021.

The value of preoperative molecular testing in the management of Bethesda V and Bethesda VI thyroid tumors.

The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased over recent years due to the fact that several diagnostic tools, such as neck ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration, are being ever more widely adopted. Lately, another modality which might provide significant information preoperatively on the aggressiveness of a thyroid tumor, its prognosis, and its recurrence rate is molecular testing. We reviewed the literature with regard to the role of preoperative molecular testing in patients with Bethesda V and Bethesda VI thyroid nodules and its impact on choice of the optimal treatment strategy.

New insights into the dynamics of m6A epitranscriptome: hybrid-seq identifies novel mRNAs of the m6A writers METTL3/14.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A), a prevalent mRNA modification, is dynamically regulated by methyltransferases, including METTL3 and METTL14. In the current study, we employed a custom hybrid-seq method to identify novel / transcripts, explore their protein-coding capacities and predict the putative role of the METTL isoforms. Demultiplexing of the hybrid-seq barcoded datasets unraveled the expression patterns of the newly identified mRNAs in major malignancies as well as in non-malignant cells, providing a deeper understanding of the methylation pathways.

Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) Combined with NGS Panel Testing Increases Accuracy in Hereditary Breast Cancer Risk Estimation.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most prominent tumor type among women, accounting for 32% of newly diagnosed cancer cases. BC risk factors include inherited germline pathogenic gene variants and family history of disease. However, the etiology of the disease remains occult in most cases.

The Role of Total Quality Management in the Pharmaceutical, Food, and Nutritional Supplement Sectors.

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a holistic approach widely adopted across industries to ensure quality control and management. This document examines TQM practices in the pharmaceutical, food, and nutritional supplement sectors, highlighting their vital role in public health, sustainability, and consumer acceptance. By analyzing the literature and case studies, the article demonstrates how TQM significantly ensures product safety and quality.

Paraneoplastic hypoglycemia: An overview for optimal clinical guidance.

Paraneoplastic hypoglycemia, also known as non-islet cell tumor hypoglycemia (NICTH), is a rare but critical condition occurring in patients with different types of malignancy. This condition is commonly linked to tumors producing insulin-like growth (IGF) factors, particularly IGF-2 and its precursors, which disrupt glucose homeostasis and lead to excessive glucose consumption. The diagnosis typically involves documenting symptomatic hypoglycemia and ruling out other potential causes.

Incidental detection of hereditary bisalbuminemia in a patient with positive DAT coombs: A case-based review.

Bisalbuminemia is a rare, typically benign condition marked by the presence of a bifid albumin band on serum protein electrophoresis. It can either be inherited due to a point mutation or acquired in association with various medical conditions, most commonly diabetes mellitus. Bisalbuminuria, the presence of bifid albumin in urine, may or may not accompany bisalbuminemia.

Montenegrin Digital Academic Innovation Hub: Experience in Supporting Digital Health Innovations.

Montenegrin Digital Academic Innovation Hub established within Erasmus+ project DigNEST is essential institutional support for developing innovations in the field of health in academic-business cooperation and partnership. Experience of 18 months in running Hub service provides preliminary results in analysis received innovation ideas, provided support and potentials/capacities in medical informatics advancements at national, regional and global level.

Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis of the Shoulder: A Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND Pigmented villonodular synovitis is a rare clinical entity, with 2-3% of all PVNS cases affecting the shoulder. Diagnosis is challenging and can elude clinicians for years, with definitive treatment involving arthroscopic or open synovectomy. CASE REPORT A 50-year-old woman presented with left shoulder pain persisting for 2 years.

Vitriol attack on a young woman in Greece: The story of Ioanna's response.

An acid attack is a deliberate act of violence. Sulphuric acid is thrown at a person's face and body with the intention of harming and disfiguring the victim. Sulphuric acid is a dangerous weapon which can cause very serious injuries including severe skin damage, blindness, significant disfigurement and/or permanent disability.

Association Between Soluble Cell Adhesion Molecules (sP-Selectin, sE-Selectin, and sICAM-1) and Antibodies Against the Antigens of Proteus mirabilis in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the serum concentration of soluble cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) and antibodies against antigens of () in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, taking into consideration the implication of in the etiopathogenesis of RA. Methods The serum levels of soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin), soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin), and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) were determined by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 59 RA patients and 36 healthy controls. Using the same ELISA method, the serum levels of class-specific antibodies against hemolysin (HpmB), urease C (UreC), and urease F (UreF) enzymes of were also measured.

Significance of diabetes mellitus status in patients undergoing percutaneous left main coronary artery intervention.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a modifiable risk factor for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Treatment with insulin correlates with advanced disease and has been associated with excess cardiovascular risk, but evidence on outcomes of patients with insulin-treated DM (ITDM) undergoing left main percutaneous coronary intervention (LMPCI) remains scarce.

Aims: The aim of the presented study is to evluate the risk attributable to DM and ITDM in patients undergoing LMPCI.

Stress-Related Roles of Exosomes and Exosomal miRNAs in Common Neuropsychiatric Disorders.

Exosomes, natural nanovesicles that contain a cargo of biologically active molecules such as lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, are released from cells to the extracellular environment. They then act as autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine mediators of communication between cells by delivering their cargo into recipient cells and causing downstream effects. Exosomes are greatly enriched in miRNAs, which are small non-coding RNAs that act both as cytoplasmic post-transcriptional repression agents, modulating the translation of mRNAs into proteins, as well as nuclear transcriptional gene activators.