THE OLVIOS, RETHIS AND INACHOS DRAINAGE SYSTEM EVOLUTION AND HUMAN ACTIVITIES INFLUNCE OF THEIR FUTURE EVOLUTION

Olvios, Rethis and Inachos Rivers are multistory drainage systems that occur in Northern Peloponnesus, and at the present day they have and a reversed, North to South, flow element. Dervenios, Skoupeikos and Fonissa Rivers are the misfit streams of Olvios and revealed as juvenile streams and discharge to the Corinth gulf. Agiorgitikos River is the misfit stream of Rethis River and Seliandros River is the juvenile stream. Asopos, Nemeas and Rachiani Rives are the misfit streams of Inachos River and they also discharge to the Corinth gulf. Asopos River characterized as re-established stream. Physical factors such as tectonic regime (active and inactive faults), lithology, erosion and distance from the source influenced the three drainage systems evolution and could be influence them also in the future. The increase of human activities both in their southern parts and in the distal parts close to the coast could be change the physical evolution of the studied drainages, producing a new wind gap in the coastal area and a lake or a lagoon backwards of the coastal area, destroying villages and towns

Effect of polarized light in the healing process of pressure ulcers

trial was conducted to examine the effect of polarized light on pressure ulcers of 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades. Patients with two pressure ulcers, one of which received the polarized light therapy (experimental ulcer) and the other acting as control, were included in the study. The experimental ulcers received treatments for 2weeks consisting a 5min therapy session each day, excluding weekends, for 10 days. Experimental and control ulcers were assessed as they appeared on admission and reassessed at the end of each week. Fifty-five patients aged 37-85 years (67.1 ± 11.9 years were studied. Pressure ulcers of 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades receiving extra treatment with polarized light had increased values of epithelial tissue between the first and second assessments of 0-30.9% and between the second and third assessments of 30.9-21.7%. Values of the control pressure ulcers were, respectively, from 0 to 5.5% and from 5.5% to 3.1%.The mean pink/white colour values of the experimental ulcers, between the first and second measurements increased significantly compared with the control ulcers (P = 0.021) and also increased significantly between the second and third measurements (P = 0.003).The mean values of 'no and minimal exudate' of the experimental ulcers increased significantly between first and second measurements compared with the control ulcers (P = 0.001), and similarly, significantly between the second and third measurements (P = 0.002). Mean surface areas of the experimental ulcers decreased significantly between the first and second measurements from 2.84 to 2.54 cm2 (P £ 0.001) and between the first and third measurements from 2.84 to 2.26 cm2 (P £ 0.001). Mean surface areas of the control ulcers decreased between the first and second measurements from 2.10 to 2.08 cm2 (P £ 0.42) and between the first and third measurements from 2.10 to 2.04 cm2 (P £ 0.007). Pressure ulcers subjected to extra treatment with polarized light in the early stages (first to third measurements) showed improvement in the healing process than the control ulcers. © Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd

A comparative study of immunocapture ELISA and RT-PCR for screening clinical samples from Southern Greece for human influenza virus types A and B

An immunocapture (IC) ELISA and reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR assays were evaluated as screening methods for the detection of influenza virus types A and B in clinical samples collected from individuals presenting with influenza-like symptoms in Southern Greece. Standard virus isolation in embryonated hens' eggs was taken as the reference method. According to the reference method, 25 (16.7%) of the 150 clinical samples examined were infected by influenza viruses - 19 type A (H3N2) and 6 type B, The sensitivity of immunocapture ELISA was 64% and that for RT-PCR was 100%, The specificity of IC ELISA was 98% and by RT-PCR 97%, The positive diagnostic value of IC ELISA was 94% and of RT-PCR 86%, whereas the negative diagnostic values for IC ELISA and PCR were 93% and 100%, respectively. These findings confirm that RT-PCR provides significantly increased sensitivity over IC ELISA and can be of value in the management of regional influenza screening surveys conducted by the national public health services

Evaluation of the immunogenicity of a recombinant vaccine against hepatitis B containing S and pre-S2 sequences using two different schedules

The immunogenicities of hepatitis B virus vaccines containing S and pre-S2 regions were compared using two different schedules of immunization (A: 0-1-2-12 months and B: 0-1-6 months). Two hundred males and females aged 17-22 years were vaccinated with 20 μg per dose. The follow-up period was extended up to 13 months. One month after the booster dose anti-HBs were detected in 98.9% of those vaccinated with schedule A and 100% of those vaccinated with schedule B. Geometric mean titres (GMT) of anti-HBs were significantly higher with schedule A than schedule B, reaching GMT of 16269.7 mIU ml-1 and 4372.4 mIU ml-1, respectively, one month after the booster dose. Seroconversion rates for the anti-pre-S2 antibodies one month after the booster dose were 89.4% for schedule A and 76.6% for schedule B. GMT were 157.8 mIU ml-1 and 67.5 mIU ml-1, respectively. We conclude that both vaccines elicit high titres of anti-HBs and anti-pre-S2 antibodies. Immunity lasts longer in schedule A than in schedule B. © 1993

Detection of intracellular IFN- and IL-4 cytokines in CD4+and CD8+T cells in the peripheral blood of dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a systemic zoonotic disease the clinical manifestations of which can range from self-healing cutaneous lesions to disseminated visceral disease. Effective activation of cellular immunity is the cornerstone of resistance against Leishmania infantum in infected dogs. The aim of this cross-sectional, controlled study was the intracellular detection of interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interferon- (IFN-) in CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of 40 dogs naturally infected with L. infantum by applying flow cytometry. The percentage of CD4+IL-4+ and CD8+IL-4+ lymphocytes (with or without immunostimulation) was low in the clinically healthy and subclinically infected dogs in contrast to clinically affected ones. In the same groups of dogs, the percentage of CD4+IFN-+ and CD8+IFN-+ T cells in their resting phase and following specific immunostimulation with Leishmania soluble antigen (LSA) was also low. CD4+IL-4+ and CD8+IL-4+ T cell percentage was higher in sick compared to clinically healthy and subclinically infected dogs, after immunostimulation. The corresponding figure of CD8+IL-4+ cells in sick dogs after LSA immunostimulation was also increased thus underlining the important role these cells may play in humoral immunity and perhaps the progression of CanL