Razarajuće epidemije grčke populacije u novije doba

In the recent Greek ages the most devastating epidemics were plague, smallpox, leprosy and cholera. In 1816 plague struck the Ionian and Aegean Islands, mainland Greece, Constantinople and Smyrna. The Venetians ruling the Ionian Islands effectively combated plague in contrast to the Ottomans ruling all other regions. In 1922, plague appeared in Patras refugees who were expelled by the Turks from Smyrna and Asia Minor. Inoculation against smallpox was first performed in Thessaly by the Greek women, and the Greek doctors Emmanouel Timonis (1713, Oxford) and Jakovos Pylarinos (1715, Venice) made relevant scientific publications. The first leper colony opened in Chios Island. In Crete, Spinalonga was transformed into a leper island, which following the Independence War against Turkish occupation and the unification of Crete with Greece in 1913, was classified as an International Leper Hospital. Cholera struck Greece in 1853-1854 brought by the French troops during the Crimean War, and again during the Balkan Wars (1912-13) when the Bulgarian troops brought cholera to northern Greece. Due to successive wars, medical assistance was not always available, so desperate people turned many times to religion through processions in honor of local saints, for their salvation in epidemics.Posljednjih su stoljeća razarajuće za Grke bile epidemije kuge, boginja, gube i kolere. Godine 1816. kuga je pogodila otoke u Jonskom i Egejskom moru, kopnenu Grčku, Konstantinopol i Smirnu. Mlečani koji su vladali Jonskim otocima uspješno su se borili protiv kuge, za razliku od Osmanlija koji su upravljali ostalim regijama. Godine 1922. kuga se pojavila kod prognanika iz Patra, koje su Turci protjerali iz Smirne i Male Azije. Cijepljenje protiv malih boginja najprije je provedeno u Tesali i izvodile su ga grčke žene, a grčki liječnici Emmanouel Timonis (1713., Oxford) i Jakovos Pylarinos (1715., Venecija) napisali su relevantne znanstvene publikacije. Prva kolonija gubavaca otvorena je na otoku Chiosu. Na Kreti je Spinalonga pretvorena u otok gubavaca koji je nakon rata za nezavisnost protiv turske okupacije i ujedinjenja Krete s Grčkom 1913. bio klasificiran kao Međunarodna bolnica za gubavce. Kolera je pogodila Grčku 1853. – 1854., a donijeli su je francuski vojnici tijekom Krimskog rata i opet tijekom balkanskih ratova (1912. – 1913.) kada su bugarske postrojbe donijele koleru u sjevernu Grčku. Zbog uzastopnih ratova medicinska pomoć nije bila uvijek dostupna, tako da su se očajni ljudi više puta okretali religiji procesijama u čast lokalnih svetaca, za svoj spas u vrijeme epidemija

Nifedipine-induced histological changes in the parotid glands of hypertensive rats

Nifedipine is a widely used anti-anginal and anti-hypertensive agent. It is associated with significant gingival changes attributed more to collagen hyperplasia than to enhancement of protein synthesis. We investigated the influence of nifedipine on morphological changes in the parotid glands of rats in a model of hypertension. Twenty-eight male Wistar rats (8–10 weeks; 200 ± 15 g) were divided into four groups (A–D). Hypertension was induced by surgical means in groups C and D. Animals in groups B and D were treated with nifedipine (0.85 mg/kg) via a gastroesophageal catheter the day after surgery (experimental day-1) for 2 weeks. A significant difference was observed between the control group and nifedipine group and between the control group and hypertension group with regard to the weight of the parotid gland and its surface area. Histological findings demonstrated changes in the parotid glands of hypertensive animals with mild vessel dilatation and infiltration of inflammatory cells. These histological findings seemed to be due more to changes in venous function than to alterations in gland architecture