Nutrition-related biomarkers of metabolic disorders among immigrants in Athens, Greece: a cross- sectional study.

Purpose: This study aims to measure metabolic biomarkers and to determine the prevalence of nutrition- related metabolic diseases in an immigrant population residing in Athens, Greece.

Materials And Methods: The study included 393 participants over 18 years of age from whom blood samples and anthropometric data were collected in a cross-sectional (point-prevalence) design. Multivariate logistic regression models were employed to analyze the independent risk factors for metabolic disorders (metabolic syndrome, high waist circumference, hypertension, hyperglycemia, diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperuricemia).

Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW) as a useful and cost-effective biomarker for sepsis prediction.

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition and a major cause of hospital mortality worldwide. This study investigated the diagnostic utility of monocyte mean volume (MONO MEAN-V), monocyte distribution width (MDW), monocyte mean conductivity (MONO MEAN-C), and monocyte standard deviation conductivity (MONO Sd-C) for sepsis, compared to conventional markers.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in two centers, enrolling adult patients classified into three groups: sepsis, septic shock, and febrile.

Genome Analysis of the Multidrug-Resistant BCT3 of the Sequence Type (ST) 872 Isolated from a Pediatric Diarrhea Case.

and are the two main campylobacter species that cause foodborne campylobacteriosis. Recent studies have reported that spp. are prone to developing resistance to antibiotics commonly used for their treatment, with many strains identified as multidrug-resistant.

Phytochemicals as Chemo-Preventive and Therapeutic Agents Against Bladder Cancer: A Comprehensive Review.

Bladder cancer has a high incidence worldwide and is characterized by a high recurrence rate, metastatic potential, and a significant socioeconomic burden. Conventional treatment modalities usually exhibit serious adverse complications, which also negatively affect patients' quality of life. In the context of exploring new treatment approaches with fewer side effects, the utilization of natural compounds as alternative and/or complementary therapeutic options seems appealing.

The Role of Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW) in the Prediction of Death in Adult Patients with Sepsis.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition; it is a major cause of hospital mortality worldwide and it constitutes a global health problem. This research investigates the use of MDW as a predictor for septic patients. This was a double-center prospective cohort study of adult septic patients.

Towards New Scaffolds for Antimicrobial Activity-In Silico/In Vitro Workflow Introducing New Lead Compounds.

: The rapid evolution of bacterial resistance and the high cost of drug development have attributed greatly to the dearth in drug design. Computational approaches and natural product exploitation offer potential solutions to accelerate drug discovery. : In this research article, we aimed to identify novel antibacterial hits.

Effect of oleocanthal-rich olive oil on postprandial oxidative stress markers of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by postprandial dysmetabolism, which has been linked to post-meal redox disturbances. Oleocanthal (OO), one of the most potent bioactive phenols of extra virgin olive oil, has shown redox modulating properties in vitro. However, its acute, in vivo antioxidant properties have never been studied before.

Personalized, disease-stage specific, rapid identification of immunosuppression in sepsis.

Introduction: Data overlapping of different biological conditions prevents personalized medical decision-making. For example, when the neutrophil percentages of surviving septic patients overlap with those of non-survivors, no individualized assessment is possible. To ameliorate this problem, an immunological method was explored in the context of sepsis.

A One-Month Advanced Glycation End Products-Restricted Diet Improves CML, RAGE, Metabolic and Inflammatory Profile in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease Undergoing Haemodialysis.

Exogenous and endogenous advanced glycation end products (AGEs) contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of renal disease. This is a one-month controlled dietary counseling trial that restricts nutritional AGEs in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing haemodialysis ( = 22 participants in the intervention and = 20 participants in the control group). Haematological, biochemical markers, the soluble form of the receptor for AGEs (sRAGE), and carboxymethyl lysine (CML) were measured at baseline and at follow-up.

Association of the apoptotic markers Apo1/Fas and cCK-18 and the adhesion molecule ICAM-1 with Type 1 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents.

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is characterized by immune and metabolic dysregulation. Apo1/Fas is implicated in maintaining homeostasis of the immune system. Cytokeratin-18 (cCK-18) is a predictive marker of liver disorders in T2DM.

Disseminated Cryptococcosis With Prostate Involvement in a Patient With T-cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia and Prostate Cancer.

T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) presents unique treatment challenges because of its rarity and aggressiveness. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation offers a potentially curative option, but its safety in patients with concurrent invasive fungal infections and solid malignancies remains uncertain. We present a case of a 68-year-old male with T-PLL who developed disseminated cryptococcal disease with prostate involvement and concurrent prostate cancer (PCa).

Acute Antiplatelet Effects of an Oleocanthal-Rich Olive Oil in Type II Diabetic Patients: A Postprandial Study.

Postprandial dysmetabolism is a common entity of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and may act as a daily stressor of the already dysfunctional diabetic platelets. This study aims to investigate whether oleocanthal-rich olive oils (OO), incorporated into a carbohydrate-rich meal, can affect postprandial dysmetabolism and platelet aggregation. Oleocanthal is a cyclooxygenase inhibitor with putative antiplatelet properties.

The Response of Antioxidant Enzymes and Antiapoptotic Markers to an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) in Children and Adolescents with Excess Body Weight.

Oxidative stress and apoptosis are involved in the pathogenesis of obesity-related diseases. This observational study investigates the antioxidant and apoptotic markers response to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in a population of overweight children and adolescents, with normal (NGT) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Glucose, insulin, and C-peptide concentrations, as well as oxidative stress (SOD, GPx3) and apoptotic markers (Apo1fas, cck18), were determined at T = 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 min after glucose intake during OGTT.

Effectiveness of a Self-Decontaminating Coating Containing Usnic Acid in Reducing Environmental Microbial Load in Tertiary-Care Hospitals.

Surfaces have been implicated in the transmission of pathogens in hospitals. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an usnic-acid-containing self-decontaminating coating in reducing microbial surface contamination in tertiary-care hospitals. Samples were collected from surfaces 9 days before coating application, and 3, 10, and 21 days after its application (phases 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively).

Biofilm-Forming Bacteria Implicated in Complex Otitis Media in Children in the Post-Heptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV7) Era.

: Chronic media with effusion (COME) and recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM) are closely related clinical entities that affect childhood. The aims of the study were to investigate the microbiological profile of otitis-prone children in the post-PCV7 era and, to examine the biofilm-forming ability in association with clinical history and outcome during a two-year post-operative follow-up. : In this prospective study, pathogens from patients with COME and RAOM were isolated and studied in vitro for their biofilm-forming ability.

Significance of Catecholamine Biosynthetic/Metabolic Pathway in SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 Severity.

The SARS-CoV-2 infection was previously associated with the expression of the dopamine biosynthetic enzyme L-Dopa decarboxylase (DDC). Specifically, a negative correlation was detected between DDC mRNA and SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in in vitro infected epithelial cells and the nasopharyngeal tissue of COVID-19 patients with mild/no symptoms. However, among other genes related to both expression and SARS-CoV-2-infection (, , ), was upregulated in these patients, possibly attributed to an orchestrated host antiviral response.

Antimicrobial Effectiveness of an Usnic-Acid-Containing Self-Decontaminating Coating on Underground Metro Surfaces in Athens.

(1) Background: Surfaces have been implicated in the transmission of infections. We aimed to assess how effective an usnic-acid-containing self-decontaminating coating was on the surfaces of the Athens underground metro. (2) Methods: Two samples were collected from each of 60 surfaces of a station and a wagon before the application of the coating and 9 and 20 days after, and they were tested for bacteria, fungi, and SARS-CoV-2 using conventional microbiological and molecular methods.

SARS-CoV-2 Amino Acid Mutations Detection in Greek Patients Infected in the First Wave of the Pandemic.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel virus that belongs to the family, emerged in December 2019, causing the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Unlike previous SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreaks, this virus has a higher transmissibility rate, albeit a lower case fatality rate, which results in accumulation of a significant number of mutations and a faster evolution rate. Genomic studies on the mutation rate of the virus, as well as the identification of mutations that prevail and their impact on disease severity, are of great importance for pandemic surveillance and vaccine and drug development.

Directly immersible silicon photonic probes: Application to rapid SARS-CoV-2 serological testing.

Silicon photonic probes based on broad-band Mach-Zehnder interferometry are explored for the first time as directly immersible immunosensors alleviating the need for microfluidics and pumps. Each probe includes two U-shaped waveguides allowing light in- and out-coupling from the same chip side through a bifurcated fiber and a mechanical coupler. At the opposite chip side, two Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZI) are located enabling real-time monitoring of binding reactions by immersion of this chip side into a sample.

The Effect of Dietary Intervention With High-Oleocanthal and Oleacein Olive Oil in Patients With Early-Stage Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Pilot Randomized Trial.

Aim: Oleocanthal and oleacein (OC/OL) have important and antitumor properties; however, there is no data about their anticancer activity in humans. The aim of this pilot study was to test if patients at early stage of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) could adhere to and tolerate an intervention with high OC/OL extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and if this intervention could lead to any changes in markers related to the disease.

Methods: A pilot dietary intervention (DI) was made in patients with CLL in Rai stages 0-II who did not follow any treatment (NCT04215367).

The ever-changing landscape in modern dentistry therapeutics - Enhancing the emptying quiver of the periodontist.

Introduction/objectives: Periodontitis comprises of a wide range of inflammatory conditions of the gums leading to soft tissue damage and attachment loss. The initiation of periodontitis constitutes a rather complex disease pathogenesis which is based on pathogenic shifts of the oral microbiota combined with the host-microbiome interactions. The severity of the periodontitis is multifactorial depending on genetic, environmental, as well as host immunity factors.

Emotional intelligence scores in children and adolescents with subclinical hypothyroidism-correlation with serum serotonin and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations.

Introduction: Thyroxine is essential for nervous system development. Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH), also known as mild thyroid failure, is associated with impaired cognitive function in children and mood disorders in adults. Serotonin is also involved in brain development as well as in mood and behavior modulation.

Impact of Age and Sex on Antibody Response Following the Second Dose of COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine in Greek Healthcare Workers.

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD (receptor-binding domain) IgG antibody levels were monitored in 1643 volunteer healthcare workers of Eginition, Evangelismos, and Konstantopoulio General Hospitals (Athens, Greece), who underwent vaccination with two doses of COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (Pfizer) and had no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Venous blood was collected 20-30 days after the second vaccine dose and anti-RBD IgG levels were determined using CMIA SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant (Abbott) on ARCHITECT i System or ADVIA Centaur SARS-CoV-2 IgG (Siemens) on Centaur XP platform. From the total population of 1643 vaccinees (533 M/1110 F; median age = 49; interquartile range-IQR = 40-56), 1636 (99.

Early Start of Oral Clarithromycin Is Associated with Better Outcome in COVID-19 of Moderate Severity: The ACHIEVE Open-Label Single-Arm Trial.

Introduction: The anti-inflammatory effect of macrolides prompted the study of oral clarithromycin in moderate COVID-19.

Methods: An open-label non-randomized trial in 90 patients with COVID-19 of moderate severity was conducted between May and October 2020. The primary endpoint was defined at the end of treatment (EOT) as no need for hospital re-admission and no progression into lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) for patients with upper respiratory tract infection and as at least 50% decrease of the respiratory symptoms score without progression into severe respiratory failure (SRF) for patients with LRTI.

Association of the apoptotic marker APO1/Fas with children's predisposing factors for metabolic syndrome and with mean platelet volume.

Background: Apoptosis antigen 1/FAS receptor (APO1/Fas) signaling in endothelial cells plays a significant role in angiogenesis while increased mean platelet volume (MPV) is an important marker for platelet activation. We investigated the possible correlation between APO1/Fas and both metabolic parameters and platelet activity (indicated by the MPV) in a healthy pediatric population.

Methods: One hundred and eighty-five children, aged 5-17 years old, were enrolled in the study.