Factors Attributed to Fatal Occupational Accidents in a Period of 5 Years Preceding the Athens 2004 Olympic Games

This study aimed to determine the factors attributed to occupational fatalities occurring in the region of East Attica, Greece, in all industry types over a 5-year period preceding the 2004 Olympic Games. Questionnaires, based on the attribution theory, were completed by labor inspectors and were analyzed with principal component analysis. The results showed that most accidents occurred in the construction industry due to large-scale civil works, which took place in East Attica prior to the 2004 Olympic Games. Poor work practices arising from lack of orientation and job training, performance pressure and workers’ inexperience associated with knowledge- and skill-based errors were revealed by the questionnaire as the most common factors attributed to occupational fatalities. Our findings help to identify areas where prevention efforts should be directed to effectively manage safety in Greece

Investigation of clinical interaction between omeprazole and tacrolimus in CYP3A5 non-expressors, renal transplant recipients

Paraskevi F Katsakiori1, Eirini P Papapetrou2, Dimitrios S Goumenos3, George C Nikiforidis4, Christodoulos S Flordellis1Departments of 1Pharmacology, 3Internal Medicine-Nephrology, 4Medical Physics, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Rion, Greece; 2Center for Cell Engineering, Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USABackground: As proton pump inhibitors share CYP3A4 enzyme with tacrolimus for their hepatic elimination, they potentially affect its pharmacokinetics, most prominently in patients with CYP2C19 or CYP3A5 gene mutations. Our aim was to investigate the impact of omeprazole on tacrolimus pharmacokinetics in CYP3A5 non-expressors, kidney transplant recipients.Methods: Twelve patients (five males/seven females) were observed for 175 ± 92.05 days. Omeprazole (20 mg pos) was administrated for 75.83 ± 45.17 days. Immunosuppressant regimen consisted of tacrolimus (n = 12), methylprednisolone (n = 10), mycophenolate mofetil (n = 11), azathioprine (n = 1), and everolimus (n = 2). Patient’s body weight, coadministered drugs, and tacrolimus trough levels were monitored. Aspartate and alanine aminotransferase, γ-glutamyltransferase, and bilirubin were used for evaluating hepatic function. Tacrolimus kinetics were estimated with daily dose, concentration, dose adjusted concentration, and volume of distribution with and without coadministration of omeprazole. CYP3A5 genotyping was performed with PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Statistical analysis was performed with Prism 4 software (GraphPad Software, Inc).Results: No statistically significant difference was observed in tacrolimus kinetics and hepatic function during coadministration of omeprazole.Conclusion: Our results let us propose that there is no need for more frequent therapeutic drug monitoring of tacrolimus when coadministrated with omeprazole in CYP3A5 nonexpressors, though prospective studies with more patients and longer observation period are needed to confirm these findings.Keywords: CYP3A5, omeprazole, renal transplantation, tacrolimu

Maternal vaccination against pertussis: a systematic review of the recent literature

Objective This study is conducted to summarise and present the current knowledge on antenatal vaccination against pertussis with regard to national recommendations, coverage, immunogenicity, safety and effectiveness of the current available vaccines. Methods A systematic review of the literature in English was undertaken from January 2011 to May 2016 with searches in four databases. The review conformed to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Results 47 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Antenatal vaccination against pertussis induces high antibody concentrations in pregnant women, which are efficiently transferred transplacentally to the fetus and protect newborns when they are most vulnerable to pertussis. This strategy has been demonstrated to be safe, with no evidence of adverse pregnancy, birth or neonatal outcomes. Several countries have already introduced antenatal pertussis vaccination into their national immunisation programme with varying vaccination coverage influenced by various factors. Barriers to achieving high immunisation rates could be improved through better education of the public and healthcare professionals. Conclusions There is now an increasing body of evidence to support the safety, immunogenicity and effectiveness of antenatal vaccination to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with pertussis in neonates and young infants before they receive their primary immunisations. Narrowing the gap between scientific evidence and public health policies is critical in order to protect the most vulnerable as quickly as possible. The lessons learnt have important implications for implementation of new vaccines into the antenatal immunisation programme