Comprehensive analysis of drugs to treat SARS‑CoV‑2 infection: Mechanistic insights into current COVID‑19 therapies (Review)

The major impact produced by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) focused many researchers attention to find treatments that can suppress transmission or ameliorate the disease. Despite the very fast and large flow of scientific data on possible treatment solutions, none have yet demonstrated unequivocal clinical utility against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19). This work represents an exhaustive and critical review of all available data on potential treatments for COVID‑19, highlighting their mechanistic characteristics and the strategy development rationale. Drug repurposing, also known as drug repositioning, and target based methods are the most used strategies to advance therapeutic solutions into clinical practice. Current in silico, in vitro and in vivo evidence regarding proposed treatments are summarized providing strong support for future research efforts

The Impact of Chronic Tobacco Smoking on Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Greek Population

Aim. To investigate the effect of more than 25-year cigarette smoking on choroidal and retinal thickness, using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Methods. Thirty-one smokers and 25 age- and sex-matched nonsmokers, serving as control group, were submitted to slit-lamp biomicroscopy and dilated fundoscopy, SD-OCT, measurements of intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT), and axial length (AL). Heidelberg Spectralis was used to calculate choroidal thickness (CT), ganglion cell complex (GCC), outer retina layers (ORL), and macular thicknesses (MT). Results. The smokers’ group consisted of 17 males and 14 females with mean age of 57.8 ± 4.5 years, while the controls’ group consisted of 14 males and 11 females with mean age of 68.0 ± 4.1 years. CT and GCC thicknesses were significantly reduced in smokers compared to control group. The differences in thicknesses of ORL were marginally significant between two groups. The measurements of MT, IOP, CCT, and AL had the same distributions between smokers and nonsmokers. Conclusions. Tobacco smoking seems to result in thinner choroid and retina compared to nonsmokers. This is the first study in literature that investigates the anatomical effect of smoking for more than 25 years on the choroid and retina

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Die philosophischen voraussetzumgen der Antihesychastichen haltung von Nikephoros Gregoras.

Η ΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ ΕΡΕΥΝΑ ΤΑ ΑΙΤΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΑΝΤΙΗΣΥΧΑΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΤΟΠΟΘΕΤΗΣΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΚΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΟΥ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΑ (1295-1361) ΚΑΤΑ ΤΗΝ ΗΣΥΧΑΣΤΙΚΗ ΕΡΙΔΑ (1336-1351).ΣΤΟ Α' ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΡΓΑΣΙΑΣ ΕΦΑΡΜΟΖΕΤΑΙ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΚΟΚΡΙΤΙΚΗ ΕΞΕΤΑΣΗ ΤΩΝ ΠΕΡΙΣΤΑΤΙΚΩΝ ΑΝΑΜΕΙΞΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΡΙΔΑ,ΕΝΩ ΣΤΟ Β' ΜΕΡΟΣ ΣΥΣΤΗΜΑΤΙΚΗ ΕΞΕΤΑΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΣΚΕΨΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΤΩΝ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΙΚΩΝ ΠΡΟΥΠΟΘΕΣΕΩΝ ΠΟΥ ΕΙΣΑΓΟΥΝ ΣΤΟ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΚΟ ΤΟΥ ΕΡΓΟ.ΣΤΟ Γ'ΜΕΡΟΣ ΑΝΑΛΥΕΤΑΙ ΑΥΤΟ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΕΥΤΑΙΟ.ΣΥΜΠΕΡΑΣΜΑΤΙΚΑ:Α') Ο Ν.ΓΡΗΓΟΡΑΣ ΠΑΡΑ ΤΟ ΟΤΙ ΟΙ ΑΝΤΙΛΗΨΕΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΔΙΕΦΕΡΑΝ ΑΠΟ ΤΙΣ ΑΠΟΨΕΙΣ ΤΩΝ ΗΣΥΧΑΣΤΩΝ ΠΕΡΙΣΣΟΤΕΡΟ ΚΑΙ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥ ΒΑΡΛΑΑΜ ΔΕΝ ΑΝΑΜΙΧΘΗΚΕ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΡΙΔΑ ΕΠΕΙΔΗ ΟΙ ΑΝΤΙΗΣΥΧΑΣΤΕΣ (ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΗΣ ΚΑΛΕΚΑΣ,ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΣ ΑΚΙΝΔΥΝΟΣ)ΠΡΟΣΠΑΘΟΥΣΑΝ ΝΑ ΚΑΤΑΣΤΕΛΟΥΝ ΤΙΣ ΗΣΥΧΑΣΤΙΚΕΣ ΑΠΟΨΕΙΣ ΔΙΟΙΚΗΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΝΟΥΜΕΝΟΙ ΤΗ ΔΥΝΑΤΟΤΗΤΑ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑΣ ΣΕ ΜΗ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥΣ ΚΑΙ Ο ΓΡΗΓΟΡΑΣ ΔΕΝ ΗΤΑΝ ΚΑΝ ΚΛΗΡΙΚΟΣ. Β')Ο ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΟΣ ΑΝΑΜΙΧΘΗΚΕ ΣΤΗΝ ΤΕΛΙΚΗ ΦΑΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΕΡΙΔΑΣ ΕΠΕΙΔΗ ΟΙ ΤΟΤΕ ΑΝΤΙΗΣΘΧΑΣΤΕΣ ΔΕΝ ΕΙΧΑΝ ΟΥΤΕ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΚΟ ΛΟΓΟ ΟΥΤΕ ΕΞΟΥΣΙΑ ΑΛΛΑ ΑΠΟΤΕΛΟΥΣΑΝ ΕΝΑΝ ΠΑΡΑΔΟΣΙΑΡΧΙΚΟ ΚΑΙ ΚΛΗΡΙΚΟΚΡΑΤΙΚΟ ΜΗΧΑΝΙΣΜΟ ΠΟΥ ΑΠΕΚΤΗΣΕ ΥΠΟΣΤΑΣΗ ΠΡΟΣΛΑΜΒΑΝΟΝΤΑΣ ΤΗ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΣΧΟΛΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΑ. Γ') ΤΑ ΧΑΡΑΚΤΗΡΙΣΤΙΚΑ ΤΗΣ ΣΧΟΛΗΣ ΑΥΤΗΣ ΗΤΑΝ ΕΠΑΝΑΦΟΡΑ ΤΗΣ ΑΡΧΑΙΟΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΟΥΣΙΟΚΡΑΤΙΚΗΣ ΟΝΤΟΛΟΓΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΓΝΩΣΙΟΛΟΓΙΑΣ ΜΕ ΤΗ ΜΟΡΦΗ ΤΟΥ ΜΕΤΑΦΥΣΙΚΟΥ ΥΠΟΒΑΘΡΟΥ ΤΩΝ ΤΟΤΕ ΑΝΑΓΕΝΝΩΜΕΝΩΝ ΜΑΘΗΜΑΤΙΚΩΝ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΩΝ (ΓΕΩΜΕΤΡΙΑΣ,ΑΣΤΡΟΝΟΜΙΑΣ ΚΛΠ.) Δ') ΤΟ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΙΚΟ ΕΡΓΟ ΤΟΥ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΑ ΔΙΑΠΝΕΕΤΑΙ ΑΠΟ ΠΛΑΤΩΝΙΖΟΥΣΑ ΝΟΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΘΕΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΓΝΩΣΕΩΣ ΚΑΙ ΜΟΝΙΣΜΟ ΤΗΝ ΟΝΤΟΛΟΓΙΑ. Ε')ΤΟ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΚΟ ΤΟΥ ΕΡΓΟ ΣΤΗΡΙΖΕΤΑΙ ΣΤΟ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΙΚΟ ΚΑΙ ΟΧΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΠΕΞΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΕΜΠΕΙΡΙΑΣ ΟΠΩΣ ΛΕΙΤΟΥΡΓΕΙ Η ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΓΙ' ΑΥΤΟ ΣΥΓΚΡΟΥΣΘΗΚΕ ΜΕ ΤΟΥΣ ΗΣΥΧΑΣΤΕΣ

Pure, non-cooperative international environmental agreements: a benefit function approach

Διπλωματική εργασία--Πανεπιστήμιο Μακεδονίας, Θεσσαλονίκη, 2018.In this survey we attempt to create a semi-symmetric model of pure, non-cooperative, full information, Stackelberg I.E.A. game in which a grand coalition can be formed even if the total count of countries reaches the number of n = 200. We assume that the members of the coalition improve, through cooperation and exchange of know-how, their net benefit function. We prove that, contrary to the relatively pessimistic conclusions of the literature, the improvement of signatories net benefit function strengthens the formation of large coalition as well as yields both positive emissions and indirect welfare value