Prevalence of hepatitis B and C markers in high-risk hospitalised patients in Crete: a five-year observational study

BACKGROUND: So far the prevalence of viral hepatitis infection in hospitalized patients has not been extensively studied. Therefore we conducted the present five-year observational study to evaluate the prevalence of HBV and HCV infection in high-risk hospitalized patients of Crete, the largest Greek island, Due to the homogeneous population, epidemiological studies can be accurately done. METHODS: The study was carried out in two out of four District General Hospitals, and in the University Hospital of the island. Markers for HBV and HCV were studied and statistically evaluated according to age, sex and geographical area, in a well-defined hospitalized population. RESULTS: The total prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV in the three prefectures during the five-year study is 2.66% and 4.75% respectively. Overall the relative risks were higher in males than females for each hepatitis marker (p < 0.001). Higher prevalence of HBcAb was found in the 41–60 years age group for both sexes (males 36.17%, females 27.38%). Peak HBsAg prevalence was found in the age group of 21–40 and 41–60 years for males (5.4%) and females (3.09%) respectively. Anti-HCV prevalence increases with age reaching the highest prevalence in the age group of 41–60 years for males (7.19%) and in the 61–90 years age group for females (7.16%). For both sexes significant differences between the three locations were identified. For HBsAg a higher prevalence in Heraklion (3.96%) compared to Chania (2.30%, males: p < 0.0001, females: p < 0.05) and Rethymnon (1.45%, males: p < 0.01, females: p < 0.0001) was detected. For HCV a significantly higher prevalence in Heraklion (6.54%) compared to Chania (2.39%, males: p < 0.001, females: p < 0.001) but not in Rethymnon (5.15%, NS). A lower prevalence rate of HBcAb in Heraklion compared to Chania (20.07% versus 23.05%, males: p < 0.001, females: p < 0.001) was found. CONCLUSIONS: These results were possibly overestimated, but nevertheless reflect the situation of the general population within the island as shown by our previous publications in other study groups. Moreover they contribute to the mapping of viral hepatitis prevalence in a geographical area of Southern Europe and may be helpful in planning public health interventional strategies

Psychomotor development of children born after preimplantation genetic diagnosis and parental stress evaluation

Background: The increasing number of children conceived following preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) necessitates the evaluation of their motor and cognitive development. The primary study objective was to evaluate the physical, developmental, and neurological outcome of children born after PGD in Greece. In addition, the secondary study objective was to compare the stress levels regarding parental roles between parents of PGD children and those of naturally conceived children. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was applied. The study population consisted of 31 children (aged 2 months to 7.5 years) born after PGD analysis and their parents. The developmental evaluation of children included a detailed physical evaluation and cognitive assessment with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. The parent stress index was applied to evaluate comparative parental stress levels between those parents of PGD children and those of naturally conceived healthy children. Results: High rates of caesarean deliveries, increased incidence of prematurity, multiples and low-birth weight were observed among the 31 PGD children. Overall, 24 of the 31 PGD children had cognitive skills within normal range [general developmental quotient (GDQ): 86-115], while 6 children had lower levels of cognitive skills (GDQ&lt;85). With regard to parental stress, PGD parents reported lower levels of parenting stress as compared to parents of naturally conceived children (P&lt;0.01). Conclusions: The enhanced frequency of poor cognitive and motor skills as well as low parental stress necessitates early detection and intervention for developmental delays among PGD children. © Children&apos;s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012

Symptomatic ovarian involvement as the initial presentation of primary mediastinal large b-cell lymphoma

Primary mediastinal large B- cell lymphoma (PMLBCL) is a mature aggressive B-cell lymphoma which affects mainly young and middle-aged women. The majority of patients present with bulky mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Extranodal involvement is a rare phenomenon at disease presentation. Herein, we describe a case of a young female with PMLBCL presenting with symptomatic, bulky ovarian involvement. The 23-year old patient presented at the Emergency Department with abdominal pain. The chest X-ray film revealed a mediastinal mass and CT scan revealed a large pelvic mass, possibly involving the ovaries. Due to the development of signs of acute abdomen, she was urgently transferred to the operation room where surgical resection of the right ovary and the adjacent mass was performed. The histological examination of the resected material revealed proliferation of PMLBCL cells. This is the first report in the scientific literature describing symptomatic ovarian mass as the initial mode of presentation of PMLBCL. © 2022 The Author