Winners and losers of the Greek Crisis as a result of a double fragmentation and exclusion: a discourse analysis of Greek civil society

This article aims to explore, through the civil society’s opinion, the polarisation between ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ and the group of the ‘new excluded’, or ‘new poor’, that has emerged as a result of the European economic crisis and the social transformations that followed in the Greek society. Based on the Theory of Justice introduced by John Rawls (1971), and using the approach of Critical Discourse Analysis, this study focuses on the discourse analysis of the perception of 97 representatives of local and national NGOs, both formal and informal. The main results focus on different self and others’ presentations, especially during the economic crisis, and on the creation of an unbalanced, fragmented and exclusion-cantered society. However, the definition of rich and poor appears ambiguous through the analysis of various linguistic strategies of Greek NGOs revealing a hidden face of the societ

Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: Case reports

Синдромът на Стивънс-Джонсън и токсичната епидермална некролиза са редки заболявания. В настоящата статия представяме трима пациенти с вероятен синдром на Стивънс-Джонсън и токсична епидермална некролиза, лекувани в МБАЛ-Пазарджик от април 2012 г. до май 2015г. Тримата болни се повлияха добре от проведената терапия и бяха изписани с подобрение.Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis are rare diseases. In this article we present three clinical cases of probable Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. They were treated at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital of Pazardjik (BG) for the period of April 2012 to May 2015. The patients responded well after application of supportive therapy and were discharged with improvement

Ancient oral microbiomes support gradual Neolithic dietary shifts towards agriculture

The human microbiome has recently become a valuable source of information about host life and health. To date little is known about how it may have evolved during key phases along our history, such as the Neolithic transition towards agriculture. Here, we shed light on the evolution experienced by the oral microbiome during this transition, comparing Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers with Neolithic and Copper Age farmers that populated a same restricted area in Italy. We integrate the analysis of 76 dental calculus oral microbiomes with the dietary information derived from the identification of embedded plant remains. We detect a stronger deviation from the hunter-gatherer microbiome composition in the last part of the Neolithic, while to a lesser extent in the early phases of the transition. Our findings demonstrate that the introduction of agriculture affected host microbiome, supporting the hypothesis of a gradual transition within the investigated populations

The Role of Temperature and Humidity on Seasonal Influenza in Tropical Areas: Guatemala, El Salvador and Panama, 2008-2013

Background: The role of meteorological factors on influenza transmission in the tropics is less defined than in the temperate regions. We assessed the association between influenza activity and temperature, specific humidity and rainfall in 6 study areas that included 11 departments or provinces within 3 tropical Central American countries: Guatemala, El Salvador and Panama. Method/ Findings: Logistic regression was used to model the weekly proportion of laboratory-confirmed influenza positive samples during 2008 to 2013 (excluding pandemic year 2009). Meteorological data was obtained from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite and the Global Land Data Assimilation System. We found that specific humidity was positively associated with influenza activity in El Salvador (Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Interval of 1.18 (1.07-1.31) and 1.32 (1.08-1.63)) and Panama (OR = 1.44 (1.08-1.93) and 1.97 (1.34-2.93)), but negatively associated with influenza activity in Guatemala (OR = 0.72 (0.6-0.86) and 0.79 (0.69-0.91)). Temperature was negatively associated with influenza in El Salvador's west-central departments (OR = 0.80 (0.7-0.91)) whilst rainfall was positively associated with influenza in Guatemala's central departments (OR = 1.05 (1.01-1.09)) and Panama province (OR = 1.10 (1.05-1.14)). In 4 out of the 6 locations, specific humidity had the highest contribution to the model as compared to temperature and rainfall. The model performed best in estimating 2013 influenza activity in Panama and west-central El Salvador departments (correlation coefficients: 0.5-0.9). Conclusions/Significance: The findings highlighted the association between influenza activity and specific humidity in these 3 tropical countries. Positive association with humidity was found in El Salvador and Panama. Negative association was found in the more subtropical Guatemala, similar to temperate regions. Of all the study locations, Guatemala had annual mean temperature and specific humidity that were lower than the others

Abdominal wall and labial edema presenting in a girl with Henoch-Schönlein purpura: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Henoch-Schönlein purpura is a common immunoglobulin A-mediated vasculitic syndrome in children, characterized by purpuric rash, arthritis and abdominal pain. Renal involvement, manifested by the presence of hematuria and/or proteinuria, is also frequently seen. In most cases, patients with this disease achieve complete recovery, but some progress to renal impairment. Gastro-intestinal manifestations are present in two-thirds of affected patients and range from vomiting, diarrhea, and peri-umbilical pain to serious complications such as intussusception and gastrointestinal hemorrhage.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 7-year-old Caucasian girl who presented with abdominal pain, labial swelling, and a large abdominal ecchymosis two weeks after having been diagnosed with Henoch-Schönlein purpura. A computed tomography scan revealed abdominal wall edema extending to the groin, without any intra-abdominal pathology. She was successfully treated with intravenous steroids.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Circumferential anterior abdominal wall edema and labial edema have never been reported previously, to the best of our knowledge, as a complication of Henoch-Schönlein purpura. These findings further contribute to the wide spectrum of manifestations of this disorder in the literature, aiding in its recognition and management.</p

Grotta Santa Croce.

La Grotta Santa Croce, in contrada Matina degli Staffi, 7 km circa da Bisceglie, è la principale di una serie di cavità, tutte accessibili all’uomo, che si aprono nel sistema carsico attraversato dalla omonima Lama. La grotta si sviluppa in un corridoio N-S percorribile per un centinaio di metri, con diametri di larghezza e altezza mediamente intorno ai 5 m. Presenta due ingressi: uno superiore, corrispondente ad un camino che raggiunge il pianoro soprastante, e uno inferiore, il principale, attualmente chiuso da un cancello, in corrispondenza del piano di calpestio della cavità. Al momento della scoperta un cono detritico alto 6-7 m ostacolava l’apertura principale di accesso. Il riempimento della grotta prosegue all’esterno in forma di talus che, con pendio profondamente alterato dai lavori di terrazzamento agricoli, raggiunge l’attuale alveo della Lama, situato a una distanza di 40 m e 12 m circa al di sotto del piano di calpestio della cavità. Nella serie interna, alla base dei livelli neolitici, è venuta in luce una stuoia di fibre vegetali, di forma grosso modo ellittica, in un’area caratterizzata dalla presenza di tre vaschette concrezionate dovute all’azione di stillicidio e colmate dal sedimento di copertura della stuoia. Di particolare interesse il ritrovamento, all’interno di una di queste vaschette, di alcuni frammenti ceramici che ipotizziamo adibiti a raccogliere (o fors’anche ad attingere) le acque di stillicidio della volta

La serie stratigrafica della falesia del litorale di levante di Trani (BAT) per la ricostruzione delle dinamiche di trasformazione e insediamento della costa adriatica pugliese

An archaeological and morpho-stratigraphic study of Pleistocene and Holocene deposits cropping out along the coast of Trani (Adriatic coast of Apulia, southern Italy) has been recently carried out, when Trani City Council started with works aimed at protecting its eastern coastal cliff by building hard structures such as revetments. Two distinct archaeological phases of occupation of the area have been recognised, clearly separated by paleosols, and dated respectably to the Middle Neolithic (Serra d’Alto facies) and to the Early Bronze Age periods. Palaeonvinonmental analysis show in particular that the actual coastal Middle Neolithic structure (only 2 m in elevation) was originally located on flat surfaces, close to a fluvial incision, at about 10 m in elevation, sloping down towards the Adriatic se

Secondary adrenal insufficiency in a patient with Hashimoto thyroiditis and multiple comorbidities

Introduction: While Addison`s disease may be thought of when considering autoimmune polyglandular syndrome in patients with Hashimoto Thyroiditis, secondary adrenal insufficiency is an even rarer finding. The diagnosis is further complicated by nonspecific signs and symptoms, such as hyponatraemia or fatigue, that may be attributed to other comorbidities, like heart failure.Materials and methods: A 63-year-old male patient presented with complaints of generalized weakness, weight loss (body mass index 15), lack of appetite and nausea. His medical history was extensive, including Hashimoto thyroiditis and advanced left-sided heart failure with pacemaker placement due to Sick Sinus Syndrome and hypertension stage III, amongst other diagnoses.Results: Initial examinations revealed hypoglycaemia (2.2 mmol/L) and hyponatraemia (118 mEq/L), with no other relevant abnormalities. Once adrenal insufficiency was considered, serum cortisol (46.98 nmol/L) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (7.13 pg/mL) were both found decreased. Synacthen test results were 91.32 nmol/L - 0 min, 281.09 nmol/L - 30 min, 390.3 nmol/L - 60 min, and urine cortisol was 552 mcg/24h. The remaining pituitary hormones were in normal range. Computed tomography (as magnetic resonance was contraindicated) failed to determine the cause and no hypothalamopituitary pathology was observed, although the possibility of a microadenoma could not be excluded. Therapy with methylprednisolone was instituted successfully.Conclusion: The pathophysiology of secondary adrenal insufficiency in this patient was most likely autoimmune. This case report represents an unusual diagnosis, which additionally highlights the various possible effects of adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency and the complexity of the clinical picture that may be seen in patients with multiple autoimmune endocrine disorders and comorbidities