Desmoid tumor of the supraclavicular region: a case report

Desmoid tumors are rare, benign fibroblastic tumors that are locally infiltrative and can cause extensive morbidity by destruction of adjacent vital structures. Due to the rarity of these tumors, evidence regarding optimal treatment protocols is drawn from case reports and single-arm series with small patient numbers. We report a case of a patient with a desmoid tumor of the left supraclavicular region that was diagnosed and treated in our department and a review of the current literature

Renewable Energy Desalination for Island Communities: Status and Future Prospects in Greece

Energy and water are two of the most important components required to ensure prosperity and sustainable development to societies. This paper aims to review the status of renewable energy desalination for Greek islandic communities, deployed in two axes. The first one reviews the desalination systems state of the art technological solutions, their energy needs, how renewable energy may be employed and finally the cost of renewable energy desalination is investigated. The second axis focuses on Greek islands per se, where the current situation is investigated, potential solutions for meeting the water needs are evaluated, all leading to the proposal of a methodology towards designing an appropriate and applicable approach in addressing the water needs. Finally, a discussion takes place on how such options might be further deployed, particularly regarding the impacts they may produce for the livelihood and the future prosperity of the pertinent communities, and at the same time supporting the energy transition towards the EU Green Deal goals

Application of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) in Greece

The main premise of the current effort is that the use of a drought index, such as Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), may lead to a more appropriate understanding of drought duration, magnitude and spatial extent in semi-arid areas like Greece. The importance of the Index may be marked in its simplicity and its ability to identify the beginning and end of a drought event. Thus, it may point towards drought contingency planning and through it to drought alert mechanisms. In this context, Greece, as it very often faces the hazardous impacts of droughts, presents an almost ideal case for the SPI application. The present approach examines the SPI drought index application for all of Greece and it is evaluated accordingly by historical precipitation data. Different time series of data from 46 precipitation stations, covering the period 1947–2004, and for time scales of 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months, were used. The computation of the index was achieved by the appropriate usage of a pertinent software tool. Then, spatial representation of the SPI values was carried out with geo-statistical methods using the SURFER 9 software package. The results underline the potential that the SPI usage exhibits in a drought alert and forecasting effort as part of a drought contingency planning posture

Lymph node harvesting in colorectal carcinoma specimens

Introduction. Adequate lymph node evaluation is an important determinant of prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer. Current guidelines recommend evaluation of at least 12 lymph nodes; however, a significant number of patients fail to meet these criteria. Aim. To investigate the factors that influence adequate recovery and evaluation of lymph nodes in colorectal cancer Methods. We retrospectively analyzed 454 consecutive cases of colorectal cancer surgically treated from September 2000 to September 2006. Univariate and multivariate linear and logistic regression analysis was used to study the effect of various factors in lymph node recovery. Results. The number of lymph nodes retrieved ranged from 0 to 62 with a median of 13 nodes. Overall, 189 (41.6%) patients had fewer than 12 nodes removed. Patient age, tumor stage, location and size were associated with lymph node retrieval. Multivariable regression revealed that the aforementioned variables, including gender and hospital type, explained 17% of the observed variance of the lymph node number. Conclusion. Patient and tumor characteristics, although important, are only partly responsible for the variation of lymph node yield. Quality of surgical resection and/or the thoroughness of examination of the tissue by the pathologist might explain the wider proportion of this variance. Training in colorectal node evaluation could help to improve the quality of cancer care. Free full text available at wwww.tumorionline.i