The Telomere/Telomerase System in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases. Cause or Effect?

Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein structures located at the end of linear chromosomes and telomerase is the enzyme responsible for telomere elongation. Telomerase activity is a key component of many cancer cells responsible for rapid cell division but it has also been found by many laboratories around the world that telomere/telomerase biology is dysfunctional in many other chronic conditions as well. These conditions are characterized by chronic inflammation, a situation mostly overlooked by physicians regarding patient treatment.

Prevalence of Major Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Coronary Heart Disease in a Sample of Greek Adults: The Saronikos Study.

Background: Comprehensive data regarding prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and associated factors in different geographical regions are very important to our understanding of global distribution and evolution of CHD. The aim of this study was to assess the current prevalence of self-reported risk factors and CHD in Greek adult population.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2014, during an election day, among residents of Saronikos municipality (Attica region).

Crohn's disease of the small bowel, complicated by primary biliary cirrhosis, Hashimoto thyroiditis, and Raynaud's phenomenon: favorable response of all disorders to adalimumab treatment.

We describe the case of a male patient suffering from long-lasting Crohn's disease of the small bowel who developed thyroiditis Hassimoto, Raynaud's phenomenon, and primary biliary cirrhosis, during the course of the underlying bowel disease. It is not clear whether these co-morbidities appeared coincidentally, or because they share some common immunopathogenetic mechanisms. In this patient, Crohn's disease favorably responded to the treatment with an anti-TNF-α agent (adalimumab).

Nutritional status and nutritional support before and after pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis.

Cachexia, malnutrition, significant weight loss, and reduction in food intake due to anorexia represent the most important pathophysiological consequences of pancreatic cancer. Pathophysiological consequences result also from pancreatectomy, the type and severity of which differ significantly and depend on the type of the operation performed. Nutritional intervention, either parenteral or enteral, needs to be seen as a method of support in pancreatic cancer patients aiming at the maintenance of the nutritional and functional status and the prevention or attenuation of cachexia.

Psychological factors and stress in inflammatory bowel disease.

The role of psychological distress and personality as predisposing factors for the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains controversial. Attempts to investigate the role of psychological factors in IBD exhibited rather conflicting results. Among the studies concerning the effects of stress or depression on the course of IBD, the majority suggest that stress worsened IBD, the rest giving either negative or inconclusive results.

Sedation in gastrointestinal endoscopy: current issues.

Diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy can successfully be performed by applying moderate (conscious) sedation. Moderate sedation, using midazolam and an opioid, is the standard method of sedation, although propofol is increasingly being used in many countries because the satisfaction of endoscopists with propofol sedation is greater compared with their satisfaction with conventional sedation. Moreover, the use of propofol is currently preferred for the endoscopic sedation of patients with advanced liver disease due to its short biologic half-life and, consequently, its low risk of inducing hepatic encephalopathy.

Two cases of severe sepsis caused by Bacillus pumilus in neonatal infants.

Bacillus pumilus is an environmental contaminant that has been rarely associated with clinical infections. Here, two cases of severe sepsis caused by B. pumilus are described in two full-term neonates; one in a female infant with no factors predisposing her to infection and the other in a male infant requiring mechanical ventilation and an intravenous catheter.

Current and emerging drugs for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

During the last decade a large number of biological agents against tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), as well as many biochemical substances and molecules specifically for the medical treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), have been developed. This enormous progress was a consequence of the significant advances in biotechnology along with the increased knowledge of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of IBD. However, conventional therapies remain the cornerstone of treatment for most patients.

Risk factors for colorectal polyps: findings from a Greek case-control study.

Unlabelled: There is a body of evidence showing that several lifestyle and dietary factors are associated with colorectal polyps' formation; however, the magnitude of this association in diverse populations remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate this association in a Greek sample.

Material And Method: The study comprised of 52 subjects with histologically confirmed advanced colorectal polyps and 52 healthy controls.

Acute idiopathic pancreatitis preceding diagnosis of Crohn's disease. Description of three cases.

Unlabelled: Acute idiopathic pancreatitis seems to represent a rare extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease usually appearing after the establishment of diagnosis of the intestinal disorder. The aim of this study was to describe the clinicoepidemiological characteristics and clinical course of three patients with Crohn's disease who developed acute idiopathic pancreatitis years before the establishment of diagnosis intestinal disease.

Description Of Cases: All patients were suffering from Crohn's disease.

Granulomatous cheilitis associated with exacerbations of Crohn's disease: a case report.

Introduction: Crohn's disease is a disease involving the whole gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. Oral lesions are considered to be an important extraintestinal manifestation. Granulomatous cheilitis has been recognized as an early manifestation of Crohn's disease.

Smoking habits and associated factors among Greek physicians.

Objective: To investigate the smoking habits and associated risk factors among Greek physicians.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey of a randomly selected sample of Greek physicians.

Methods: A national sample of 1284 physicians (718 men, 566 women) participated in the study, which was conducted between September 2003 and June 2005.