Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy: historical aspects.

This study aims to present the origins and the historical evolution of fine-needle aspiration biopsy and to also underline its importance in the history of modern cytology. The article focuses on the advances made in the 20th century that have led to the modern techniques associated with the procedure. The authors conducted a thorough review of early reports on needle biopsy, particularly those published during 19th and 20th century, examining in brief also the origins of the needle biopsy. The first report on the use of needle puncture is referred in early writings of Arab medicine. In the early 20th century, Martin and Ellis are considered to be the founders of modern needle aspiration techniques. The German doctor Mannheim was the first to publish reports suggesting the use of fine needles with a small gauge. The establishment and world-wide expansion of FNA should be attributed to the representatives of the Swedish School of Cytopathology. The school embraced FNA in the second half of the 20th century while serving as a training ground for doctors around the world. The history of needle biopsy spans ten centuries. However, the development and establishment of the technique in its modern form took place primarily during the twentieth century. Today, FNA is considered an important cytologic technique with sufficient diagnostic accuracy, especially when applied in cases of lung and prostate cancer

OCJENA ZNANSTVENOG DJELOVANJA GEORGA NICHOLASA PAPANICOLAOUA 50 GODINA OD NJEGOVE SMRTI (1883.-1962.)

The purpose of this review article is to summarise the scientific work of George Nicholas Papanicolaou, one of the most eminent figures in the 20th century history of clinical cytology and medicine. Fifty years after his death, his work still remains invaluable, from the early steps in biology and zoology to the application of the Pap test as the most important advancement in the prevention of cervical cancer. The publication of his Atlas was the first important step for the foundation of a new branch in medicine, that of exfoliative cytology. His contribution to cytology undoubtedly earned him the title of the “father of exfoliative cytology” and saved the lives of many women worldwide.Cilj je članka dati kratak pregled znanstvenog djelovanja Georgea Nicholasa Papanicolaoua, jednog od najznačajnijih ličnosti u povijesti kliničke citologije i medicine XX. stoljeća. Pedeset godina nakon njegove smrti, njegova je ostavština i dalje neprocjenjiva, od prvih koraka u biologiji i zoologiji pa do primjene Papa-testa, kao najznačajnijeg napretka u sprječavanju raka vrata maternice. Izdavanje njegova Atlasa bio je prvi važan korak u stvaranju nove grane medicine – eksfolijativne citologije. Doprinos koji je dao citologiji osigurao mu je naziv “oca eksfolijativne citologije”, a mnogim ženama diljem svijeta spasio je život

SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Transmission Clusters and Containment Measures in Ten European Regions during the First Pandemic Wave

International audienceBackground: The spatiotemporal profiling of molecular transmission clusters (MTCs) using viral genomic data can effectively identify transmission networks in order to inform public health actions targeting SARS-CoV-2 spread. Methods: We used whole genome SARS-CoV-2 sequences derived from ten European regions belonging to eight countries to perform phylogenetic and phylodynamic analysis. We developed dedicated bioinformatics pipelines to identify regional MTCs and to assess demographic factors potentially associated with their formation. Results: The total number and the scale of MTCs varied from small household clusters identified in all regions, to a super-spreading event found in Uusimaa-FI. Specific age groups were more likely to belong to MTCs in different regions. The clustered sequences referring to the age groups 50–100 years old (y.o.) were increased in all regions two weeks after the establishment of the lockdown, while those referring to the age group 0–19 y.o. decreased only in those regions where schools’ closure was combined with a lockdown. Conclusions: The spatiotemporal profiling of the SARS-CoV-2 MTCs can be a useful tool to monitor the effectiveness of the interventions and to reveal cryptic transmissions that have not been identified through contact tracing

The Global Spread of Hepatitis C Virus 1a and 1b: A Phylodynamic and Phylogeographic Analysis

Using phylodynamic and phylogeographic methods, Angelos Hatzakis and colleagues find that the global spread of Hepatitis C virus coincided with widespread use of transfused blood and with the expansion of intravenous drug use

Novel Strategies in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an important life-saving procedure which is applied in cases of genetic defects or malignant tumors. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), reside in certain “niches” within the bone marrow allowing them to reproduce themselves and remain in undifferentiated state [1,2], whereas there are evidence that HSC population is not homogenous and can be divided into subtypes [2]. Dependent on the donor of HSC, HSCT can be autologous (if the donor and the recipient is the same person), allogeneic (HSC come from a different person) or syngeneic (HSC donor is identical twin). </p

Study of molecular resistance of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) to antiretroviral drugs

The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy in clinical practice (HAART) increased the life expectancy and life quality of HIV-infected patients. However, the emergence of resistance is one of the main causes of antiretroviral treatment failure. Resistance to antiretroviral drugs is connected with the emergence of mutations in the genes that are targets of antiretroviral therapy, the protease, reverse transcriptase, integrase and gp41. Studies in antiretroviral drug resistance focus on patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in order to define patterns of drug resistance in new drugs or combinations of existing antiretrovirals, as well as on naive patients. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of HIV drug resistance in Greek naive HIV-infected individuals diagnosed in different time periods (<1999, 1999-2002, 2002-2003), the estimate of patterns of resistance in patients failing TDF-based therapies, the indentification of mutations predicting failure to TDF based regimens and the investigation of interesting cases of peculiar resistance profiles. Studies in HIV naive patients estimated the prevalence of resistance, in chronically infected patients diagnosed positive before 1999 and during 1999-2002 and in newly-diagnosed patients during the period 2002-2003 at 9%, whereas we were able to identify cases of transmission of HIV drug resistance through sexual intercourse. Studies in patients receiving TDF based regimens pointed out new positions (codons 123 and 196 in the reverse transcriptase region) which can predict response to TDF-based regimens by week 24, as well as new mutations at codon 70 (K70G, K70N) associated with failure to such regimens. Finally, we were able to identify and investigate, for the first time in international literature, a case of a NNRTI naive patient of the rare subtype CRF14_BG who developed an NNRTIassociated mutation.Η εισαγωγή της υψηλά δραστικής συνδυαστικής αντιρετροϊικής θεραπείας στην κλινική πράξη βελτίωσε δραστικά το προσδόκιμο επιβίωσης και την ποιότητα ζωής των ασθενών με HIV λοίμωξη. Η ανάπτυξη αντοχής, ωστόσο, παραμένει ένα από τα βασικότερα αίτια αποτυχίας της αντιρετροϊικής θεραπείας. Η αντοχή στα αντιρετροϊικά φάρμακα σχετίζεται με την εμφάνιση μεταλλάξεων στα γονίδια στόχους της αντιρετροϊικής θεραπείας, την πρωτεάση, την αντίστροφη μεταγραφάση, την ιντεγκράση και την γλυκοπρωτεΐνη 41. Οι μελέτες στη διερεύνηση των προτύπων αντοχής επικεντρώνονται τόσο σε ασθενείς που λαμβάνουν θεραπεία με σκοπό τη διερεύνηση των προτύπων αντοχής που σχετίζονται με συγκεκριμένα θεραπευτικά σχήματα, τη διερεύνηση των διαχρονικών μεταβολών των προτύπων αντοχής καθώς και την ταυτοποίηση νέων μεταλλάξεων σε νέα ή ήδη υπάρχοντα αντιρετροϊικά φάρμακα, όσο και σε πληθυσμούς ασθενών που δεν λαμβάνουν αντιρετροϊική θεραπεία. Σκοπός της παρούσας διατριβής ήταν η διερεύνηση του επιπολασμού αντοχής σε Έλληνες ασθενείς που δεν έχουν λάβει αντιρετροϊική θεραπεία σε διαφορετικές χρονικές περιόδους (<1999, 1999-2002, 2002-2003), η διερεύνηση του προτύπου αντοχής σε ασθενείς που αποτυγχάνουν σε θεραπευτικά σχήματα που εμπεριέχουν τενοφοβίρη, την ταυτοποίηση μεταλλάξεων που σχετίζονται με αποτυχία σε θεραπευτικά σχήματα που εμπεριέχουν τενοφοβίρης, καθώς επίσης και τη διερεύνηση ενδιαφέροντων περιστατικών αντοχής με ασυνήθιστα πρότυπα μεταλλάξεων. Από τις μελέτες επιπολασμού αντοχής σε ασθενείς που δεν λαμβάνουν αντιρετροϊική θεραπεία, εκτιμήθηκε ο επιπολασμός αντοχής σε νεοδιαγνωσθείσες λοιμώξεις κατά την χρονική περίοδο 2002-2003 για πρώτη φορά σε Έλληνες ασθενείς στο 9%, ενώ παρουσιάστηκαν για πρώτη φορά περιστατικά μετάδοσης αντοχής μέσω σεξουαλικής επαφής στον ελλαδικό χώρο. Από τις μελέτες προσδιορισμού προτύπων αντοχής στην τενοφοβίρη, προσδιορίστηκαν νέες μεταλλάξεις με προγνωστική αξία για επιτυχία ή αποτυχία θεραπευτικών σχημάτων που εμπεριέχουν τενοφοβίρη στην 24η βδομάδα (μεταλλάξεις στις θέσεις 123 και 196), ενώ παράλληλα ταυτοποιήθηκαν νέες μεταλλάξεις σε ασθενείς που αποτυγχάνουν σε αυτά τα θεραπευτικά σχήματα (K70G, K70N). Τέλος, διερευνήθηκε ένα ενδιαφέρον περιστατικό ανάπτυξης μετάλλαξης μη νουκλεοσιδικών αναλόγων σε ασθενή με τον σπάνιο για τα ελληνικά δεδομένα υπότυπο CRF14_BG ο οποίος δεν έχει λάβει αντιρετροϊική θεραπεία με μη νουκλεοσιδικά ανάλογα υπότυπο, για πρώτη φορά στη διεθνή βιβλιογραφία

Alfred Francois Donne (1801-78): a pioneer of microscopy, microbiology and haematology

Alfred Francois Donne is widely known in the scientific community as the discoverer of Trichommas vaginalis, since he was the first to illustrate the parasite that later was recognized to cause vaginal infections. However, his other, less-known findings are equally important: lie was also the inventor of the photoelectric microscope, with the assistance of his student Leon Foucault, as well as the first to apply photography to microscopic preparations (Daguerreotype). His research in microscopy extended to almost all human fluids that Could be investigated and culminated hi his famous Atlas, which was illustrated with numerous photographs. Donne was also the first to describe the microscopic appearances of leukaemia based on blood preparations acquired from patients. Finally, his work in the hygiene of child upbringing and nutrition is very significant