Effective Intense Pulsed Light Protocol in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Acne Vulgaris

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Photodynamic Therapy Activated by Intense Pulsed Light in the Treatment of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with topical 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) or methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) has proven to be a highly effective conservative method for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AK), Bowen’s disease (BD), and superficial basal cell carcinoma (sBCC). PDT is traditionally performed in association with broad-spectrum continuous-wave light sources, such as red or blue light. Recently, intense pulsed light (IPL) devices have been investigated as an alternative light source for PDT in the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC). We herein report our observational findings in a cohort of patients with a diagnosis of AK, sBCC, and BD that is treated with MAL-PDT using IPL, as well as we review published data on the use of IPL-PDT in NMSC

Η απαγόρευση των διακρίσεων και η προστασία της διαφορετικότητας υπό το πρίσμα του Ευρωπαϊκού Δικαστηρίου των Δικαιωμάτων του Ανθρώπου

Το διαρκώς μεταβαλλόμενο επί τα χείρω, διεθνές πολιτικό και οικονομικό περιβάλλον, εκτόξευσε τα ρατσιστικά κρούσματα βίας, αλλά γενικότερα τις ρατσιστικές συμπεριφορές σε όλες τις ευρωπαϊκές κοινωνίες. Από την άλλη πλευρά, οι πολιτικές αντιμετώπισής τους μετρούν μόνο μερικά χρόνια, με το Συμβούλιο της Ευρώπης να προΐσταται σε αυτές τις συστηματικές προσπάθειες. Εν όψει των παραπάνω, ζήτημα προς διερεύνηση αποτελεί η ερμηνεία του άρθρου 14 της ΕΣΔΑ, όπου προβλέπεται η αρχή της απαγόρευσης των διακρίσεων, μίας από τις σημαντικότερες εγγυήσεις του σεβασμού των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων. Ειδικότερα, στόχο της παρούσας εργασίας αποτελεί ακριβώς η επισκόπηση και κριτική ανάλυση της αρχής αυτής που εμφανίζεται ιδιαιτέρως ασθενής στο κείμενο της ΕΣΔΑ, δεδομένου ότι δεν ενσωματώνεται μια συνολική απαγόρευση των διακρίσεων σε όλους τους τομείς της δραστηριότητας των κρατικών αρχών. Ιδιαίτερα εστιάζεται, στη νομολογία του Δικαστηρίου, η οποία, προοδευτικά, ερμήνευσε το άρθρο 14 σε αναλογία με τις προκλήσεις των καιρών, εμπλουτίζοντας, ταυτόχρονα, το κανονιστικό περιεχόμενο των επιμέρους άρθρων της ΕΣΔΑ, σε τομείς όπως οι νέες μορφές διακρίσεων, η εκπαίδευση και οι έμμεσες διακρίσεις. Τέλος, αναλύεται η θέση σε ισχύ, το 2005, ενός πρόσθετου Πρωτοκόλλου στην ΕΣΔΑ, το οποίο επεκτείνει το πεδίο εφαρμογής της ανωτέρω αρχής στο σύστημα της ΕΣΔΑ. Πρόκειται, εν ολίγοις για μία μελέτη, με στόχο την ανάδειξη της σημασίας της προστασίας της ετερότητας στη σύγχρονη Ευρώπη.The ever-changing political and economic situation of the world has sparked racist violence but, more generally, racist attitudes in all European societies. On the other hand, the policies for dealing with them exist only the last few years. The Council of Europe is the leader in these systematic efforts. For this reason, an issue to be investigated is the interpretation of Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights , which has been adopted with the principle of non-discrimination as one of the most important guarantees of respect for human rights. In particular, the aim of this paper is precisely the review and critical analysis of this principle, which is particularly weak in the ECHR text, since it does not incorporate a total prohibition of discrimination in all areas of government activity. It focuses on the case-law of the Court, which has progressively interpreted Article 14 by analogy with the challenges of nowadays, while enriching the normative content of the individual articles of the ECHR in areas such as new forms of discrimination, education and indirect discrimination. Finally, is analyzed the entry into force in 2005 of an additional Protocol to the ECHR, which extends the scope of this principle to the ECHR system. In a few words, this is a study aimed at highlighting the importance of protecting diversity in modern Europe

Παράγοντες κινδύνου για παιδική παχυσαρκία

Περίληψη Εισαγωγή: Ο επιπολασμός της παχυσαρκίας στην παιδική και εφηβική ηλικία αυξάνεται παγκοσμίως με ανησυχητικό ρυθμό και ο αριθμός των υπέρβαρων παιδιών έχει διπλασιαστεί ενώ των υπέρβαρων εφήβων έχει τριπλασιαστεί από το 1980.Η παιδική παχυσαρκία είναι ένα μείζον πρόβλημα υγείας στον αναπτυγμένο κόσμο. Σκοπός: Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας είναι η διερεύνηση παραγόντων ευθυνόμενων για παιδική παχυσαρκία. Υλικό και Μέθοδος: Το δείγμα αποτέλεσαν 240 νοσηλευόμενα παιδιά σε ένα μεγάλο δημόσιο Παιδιατρικό Νοσοκομείο της Αθήνας. Τα στοιχεία συλλέχθηκαν με τη συμπλήρωση από τους γονείς ειδικά κατασκευασμένου για τις ανάγκες της μελέτης ερωτηματολόγιο. Η στατιστική ανάλυση έγινε με τη χρήση του στατιστικού πακέτου SPSS-22 και την εφαρμογή της στατιστικής δοκιμασίας t-test, anova και .Pearson Correlation. Αποτελέσματα: Από τα 240 παιδιά το 55,3% ήταν αγόρια και η ηλικία του δείγματος στο 33,1% ήταν από 4-6 ετών, το 41,9% 7-11 και 12 και πάνω ήταν το 25,0%. Λιποβαρή ήταν το 12,6%, των παιδιών, κανονικό βάρος είχε το 51,4%, υπέρβαρα ήταν το 23,9% και παχύσαρκα το 12,2%. Το ΒΜΙ των παιδιών είχε θετική συσχέτιση με αυτό των μητέρων τους, p<0,001. Μεγαλύτερο ΒΜΙ είχαν τα παιδιά ηλικίας πάνω από 12 ετών, p<0,001, παιδιά μητέρων πρωτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης, p=0,035, αυτά που φοιτούσαν σε δημόσιο σχολείο, p=0,020, που δεν ασκούνταν ή ασκούνταν μόνο στο σχολείο, p=0,007, που ασχολούνταν με το διαδίκτυο, p=0,010, που δεν έπαιρναν πρωινό και δεκατιανό, p<0,001, και p=0,004, αντίστοιχα, τρώνε συχνά από fast food, p=0,019, και πίνουν συχνά αναψυκτικά, p=0,013. Συμπεράσματα: Το ποσοστό των υπέρβαρων και παχύσαρκων παιδιών είναι υψηλό. Ο σύγχρονος τρόπος ζωής και διάφοροι κοινωνικοοικονομικοί παράγοντες ευθύνονται για την αύξηση της παιδικής παχυσαρκίας. Η σωστή ενημέρωση για τα οφέλη της σωματικής άσκησης και της υγιεινής διατροφής, όπως και ο περιορισμός του χρόνου που δαπανούν τα παιδιά στο διαδίκτυο μπορούν να συμβάλλουν στη μείωση της παιδικής παχυσαρκίαςAbstract Introduction: The prevalence of obesity in childhood and adolescence is rising globally at an alarming rate and the number of overweight children has doubled, while overweight teenagers have tripled since 1980. Childhood obesity is a major health problem in the developed world. Purpose: The purpose of the present essay is to investigate agents responsible for child obesity. Material and Method: The sample consisted of 240 hospitalized children in a large Public Pediatric Hospital in Athens. The data were collected by parents who completed a specially constructed for the needs of the study questionnaire. Statistical analysis was made using the SPSS-22 statistical package and the application of the statistical test t-test, anova and .Pearson Correlation. Results: Of the 240 children 55, 3% were boys, and the sample age at 33.1% was from 4-6 years, 41.9% from 7-11 and 12 and over was 25.0%. Of the children 12.6%, was low weight , 51.4% was of normal weight , 23.9% was overweight and 12.2% was obese. The children’s BMI had a positive correlation with that of their mothers, p <0.001. Children over 12 years old had larger BMI, p <0.001, primary school pupils, p = 0.035, those attending public school, p = 0.020, Only p = 0.007, p = 0.010, p = 0.001, and p = 0.004, respectively p 6.70 often eat fast food p = 0.019 and drink frequently Refreshments, p = 0.013. Conclusions: The proportion of overweight and obese children is high. Modern lifestyles and various socio-economic factors are responsible for increasing childhood obesity. Proper information on the benefits of physical exercise and healthy eating, as well as reducing the time children spend on the internet can help reduce childhood obesity

Preliminary exploration of nursing care safety indices in Hellenic critical care units

Background: In intensive care units (ICUs), the majority of patient care tasks are directly performed by nurses. Therefore, nurses bear the responsibility of preventing errors and adverse events during patient care delivery. Purpose: We explored a) the degree of nursing care delivery safety in Hellenic ICUs, by quantification of an array of critical nursing situations, and b) potential associations between safety of care indices and patients' characteristics, organizational parameters, staffing, and nurses' work adjustment characteristics. Method: This was a descriptive correlational study with cross-sectional comparisons. A combination of convenience and random sampling was employed. The study was carried out at two public and two private sector ICUs in Athens. 65 ICU patients and 19 nurses were included, The modified Critical Nursing Situation Index, TISS-28, APACHE-II, the Index of Work Satisfaction, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Berger's self-esteem scale were employed

Houston, we Have a Pandemic: Technical Difficulties, Distractions and Online Student Engagement

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a massive shift to remote education, as college students rely on technology to attend class and interact with instructors and peers, while possibly facing technical and situational difficulties at home. Considering the unprecedented situation, the purpose of the present study was to explore student engagement in a small private, American college in Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic, where classes were transitioned mid-semester to synchronous online. It was hypothesized that student engagement would be negatively correlated with both technical difficulties and home distractions. Moreover, we investigated whether computer self-efficacy would mediate the former relationship. The survey sample consisted of 78 undergraduate students, recruited online. Participants completed scales on online student engagement, technical difficulties, home distractions and computer self-efficacy, as well as two exploratory open-ended questions on their attitudes towards online classes. Student engagement was negatively correlated with both technical difficulties and home distractions, while computer self-efficacy mediated the relationship between student engagement and technical difficulties. Students reported that what they enjoyed most in e-classes were the exact aspects that interfered with their learning and engagement. The most commonly reported concern in online courses was impaired concentration and technical issues, while flexibility, time efficiency and home comfort were the aspects that students enjoyed most. The study aims to shed light on engagement in remote learning, as online classes may eventually become an integral component of higher education after the return to a so-called new normality. Suggestions to improve student engagement based on the findings are provided

Global Distribution, Dispersal Patterns, and Trend of Several Omicron Subvariants of SARS-CoV-2 across the Globe

Our study aims to describe the global distribution and dispersal patterns of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants. Genomic surveillance data were extracted from the CoV-Spectrum platform, searching for BA.1*, BA.2*, BA.3*, BA.4*, and BA.5* variants by geographic region. BA.1* increased in November 2021 in South Africa, with a similar increase across all continents in early December 2021. BA.1* did not reach 100% dominance in all continents. The spread of BA.2*, first described in South Africa, differed greatly by geographic region, in contrast to BA.1*, which followed a similar global expansion, firstly occurring in Asia and subsequently in Africa, Europe, Oceania, and North and South America. BA.4* and BA.5* followed a different pattern, where BA.4* reached high proportions (maximum 60%) only in Africa. BA.5* is currently, by Mid-August 2022, the dominant strain, reaching almost 100% across Europe, which is the first continent aside from Africa to show increasing proportions, and Asia, the Americas, and Oceania are following. The emergence of new variants depends mostly on their selective advantage, translated as enhanced transmissibility and ability to invade people with existing immunity. Describing these patterns is useful for a better understanding of the epidemiology of the VOCs’ transmission and for generating hypotheses about the future of emerging variants

Chronological Age and DNA Damage Accumulation in Blood Mononuclear Cells: A Linear Association in Healthy Humans after 50 Years of Age

Aging is characterized by the progressive deregulation of homeostatic mechanisms causing the accumulation of macromolecular damage, including DNA damage, progressive decline in organ function and chronic diseases. Since several features of the aging phenotype are closely related to defects in the DNA damage response (DDR) network, we have herein investigated the relationship between chronological age and DDR signals in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy individuals. DDR-associated parameters, including endogenous DNA damage (single-strand breaks and double-strand breaks (DSBs) measured by the alkaline comet assay (Olive Tail Moment (OTM); DSBs-only by γH2AX immunofluorescence staining), DSBs repair capacity, oxidative stress, and apurinic/apyrimidinic sites were evaluated in PBMCs of 243 individuals aged 18–75 years, free of any major comorbidity. While OTM values showed marginal correlation with age until 50 years (rs = 0.41, p = 0.11), a linear relationship was observed after 50 years (r = 0.95, p p < 0.001). Results were reproduced when we examined men and women separately. Prospective studies confirming the value of DNA damage accumulation as a biomarker of aging, as well as the presence of a relevant agethreshold, are warranted

Ongoing HIV transmission following a large outbreak among people who inject drugs in Athens, Greece (2014-20)

Background and Aims: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outbreak among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Athens, Greece in 2011-13 was the largest recent epidemic in Europe and North America. We aimed to assess trends in HIV prevalence, drug use and access to prevention among PWID in Athens to estimate HIV incidence and identify risk factors and to explore HIV-1 dispersal using molecular methods during 2014-20. Methods: Two community-based HIV/hepatitis C programmes on PWID were implemented in 2012-13 (n = 3320) and 2018-20 (n = 1635) through consecutive respondent-driven sampling (RDS) rounds. PWID were uniquely identified among rounds/programmes. We obtained RDS-weighted HIV prevalence estimates per round for 2018-20 and compared them to 2012-13. We assessed changes in HIV status, behaviours and access to prevention in PWID participating in both periods. We estimated HIV incidence in a cohort of seronegative PWID as the number of HIV seroconversions/100 person-years during 2014-20 and used Cox regression to identify associated risk factors. Molecular sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were performed in HIV seroconverters. Results: HIV prevalence per round ranged between 12.0 and 16.2% in 2012-13 and 10.7 and 11.3% in 2018-20 with overlapping 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Among PWID participating in both programmes, HIV prevalence (95% CI) increased from 14.2% (11.7-17.1%) in 2012-13 to 22.0% (19.0-25.3%) in 2018-20 (P &lt; 0.001). There was a deterioration in socio-economic characteristics such as homelessness [from 16.2% (95% CI = 13.5-19.2%) to 25.6% (22.3-29.0%)], a shift in cocaine use [16.6% (13.9-19.6%) versus 28.1% (24.7-31.7%], reduced access to free syringes [51.8% (48.0-55.7%) versus 44.5% (40.7-48.3%)] and a decrease in daily injecting [36.2% (32.6-39.9%) versus 28.5% (25.2-32.1%)]. HIV incidence (95% CI) in 2014-20 was 1.94 (1.50-2.52) new cases/100 person-years and younger age, lower educational level, larger injection network and daily injecting were risk factors. Almost 9% of HIV seroconversions occurred within a newly expanding phylogenetic cluster. Conclusions: In Athens, Greece, compared with the period 2012-13, in the period 2018-20 there was a deterioration in socio-economic conditions among people who inject drugs, an increase in the use of cocaine, reduced access to needle and syringe programmes and stable low levels of human immunodeficiency virus testing. Ongoing human immunodeficiency virus transmission was documented during 2014-20 in existing as well as new transmission clusters

Transmission Dynamics of HIV-1 Drug Resistance among Treatment-Naïve Individuals in Greece: The Added Value of Molecular Epidemiology to Public Health

The presence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) drug resistance among drug-naïve patients remains stable, although the proportion of patients with virological failure to therapy is decreasing. The dynamics of transmitted resistance among drug-naïve patients remains largely unknown. The prevalence of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) resistance was 16.9% among treatment-naïve individuals in Greece. We aimed to investigate the transmission dynamics and the effective reproductive number (Re) of the locally transmitted NNRTI resistance. We analyzed sequences with dominant NNRTI resistance mutations (E138A and K103N) found within monophyletic clusters (local transmission networks (LTNs)) from patients in Greece. For the K103N LTN, the Re was &gt;1 between 2008 and the first half of 2013. For all E138A LTNs, the Re was &gt;1 between 1998 and 2015, except the most recent one (E138A_4), where the Re was &gt;1 between 2006 and 2011 and approximately equal to 1 thereafter. K103N and E138A_4 showed similar characteristics with a more recent origin, higher Re during the first years of the sub-epidemics, and a declining trend in the number of transmissions during the last two years. In the remaining LTNs the epidemic was still expanding. Our study highlights the added value of molecular epidemiology to public health